This year, in the month of May one of the strongest solar storms in recent history, struck the surface of the Earth and managed to trigger the series of Auroras that were witnessed in several parts of the world by spotters, including in the northern parts of India.
May 2024 has already been notably stormy for our sun. This month, solar flares have released charged particles and magnetic fields as clouds directed toward the Earth's surface. This sequence of events has resulted in the strongest solar storm to hit Earth in two decades.
These solar flares are believed to originate from a massive sunspot called AR3664. This sunspot came into view on Earth's horizon in May. The phenomenon was observed by two European probes that were monitoring the surface of our solar system's lone star, capturing this colossal feature.
The sunspot was first observed by the European Space Agency's Proba-2 in May. On May 7 according to NASA, the first solar storm started when two strong solar flares were launched toward Earth. The most powerful eight solar flares, known as X-class, were launched in between the period of 7-11 May.
These solar flares could have caused some disruption in the technology on the Earth due to the intense charge's particles, radiations and magnetic fields released into the Earth's environment.
On May 10, solar flares travelling at 3 million miles per hour reached Earth, causing a long-lasting geomagnetic storm that reached the highest rating on the geomagnetic storm scale (G5 rating).
This whole ordeal resulted in the formation of several Auroras in multiple locations on Earth. These were visible in the low altitude region that includes the southern U.S. and northern India, and on May 10, the strongest Aurora, many citizens witnessed this phenomenon happening.
Observing solar activity is essential due to its significant effects on Earth's magnetic field, power grids, satellite communications, and other systems. By monitoring sunspots, which often precede solar flares, we can anticipate and prepare for solar storms that disrupt our magnetic field and communication networks.
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