Powerful solar flare could cause communications blackout

Arab Weather - The sun witnessed a powerful solar flare that peaked at 8:40 a.m. Eastern Time on November 6, 2024. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which monitors the sun around the clock, captured an image of this event.

Effects of solar flares on Earth

Solar flares are the most powerful forms of energy emitted from the Sun, and can affect radio communications, electrical power grids, and navigation signals, and can pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.

Solar flare classification

This explosion was classified as a class X2.3, where "X" refers to the most intense explosions, while the number 2.3 specifies how strong it is within this classification.

An R3 level solar flare erupted from the Sun and peaked at X2.3 at 8:40am ET (1340 UTC). Additional flares at R1-R2 (Minor-Moderate) remain likely, with a continuing chance of R3 events through the week. Visit our https://t.co/YLUbTRM02y for the latest information and forecasts. pic.twitter.com/cyp6wJ3Bex

— NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) November 6, 2024

The role of solar flares in increasing X-rays and their effect on Earth

The sun is constantly emitting X-rays, but solar flares convert magnetic energy in the sun's atmosphere into powerful X-rays, causing the X-ray levels on Earth to spike dramatically, at least a thousandfold in M-class events and even higher in X-class flares, Martin Connors, a professor of space science and physics at Canada's Athabasca University, told Newsweek.

Solar flares are classified by intensity.

Solar flares are classified into classes A, B, C, M, and X, with X-class flares being the most powerful, each class being 10 times more powerful than the one before it. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, M-class flares occur about 2,000 times per 11-year solar cycle, while X-class flares are rare, occurring only about 175 times per cycle. Flares of class X10 or greater occur only about eight times per cycle.

The strongest flare of this solar cycle was a magnitude X9.0 on October 3 of this year, preceded by a magnitude X8.79 flare on May 14.

Effect of solar flares on radio communications

Solar flares cause radio blackouts at frequencies below 30 MHz, as a result of their ionization of the Earth's ionosphere. Connors explained that this ionization greatly affects the natural distribution of electrons in the ionosphere, between 80 and 100 kilometers above the Earth's surface, which negatively affects the propagation of radio waves.

This layer normally reflects high-frequency radio, but ionization by the glare causes these waves to be absorbed or degraded, causing radio communications interruptions, especially on the illuminated side of the Earth that is directly exposed to the solar glare radiation. The interruptions become more severe as the glare increases in intensity.

The danger of solar flares on Earth and their economic impacts

If active sunspots directed toward Earth release more powerful flares, large areas of the United States could experience frequent radio outages. The Carrington Event of 1859 was the largest solar flare on record, and it disrupted even the simplest communications systems of the time.

Rami Kahwaji, professor of visual computing and space weather researcher at the University of Bradford, explained that a repeat of the Carrington Event in the modern era could result in massive financial losses of between $0.6 trillion and $2.6 trillion in the United States alone, according to NASA estimates.

See also:

What is a solar storm?

Earth braces for massive solar storm that could knock out communications this week

Sources:

NASA