A solar storm is expected to hit the Earth soon, potentially causing power and internet outages, scientists have warned
The US NASA‘s Solar Dynamics Observatory has detected a massive surge in activity on the northern half of the sun, marking the strongest solar storm in six years.
The British newspaper “Daily Mail” reported that the European Space Agency’s Space Weather Coordinator, Alexi Glover, stated that the solar flare that occurred on December 14th of this year is “the largest so far.” He added that this solar flare could lead to radio disruptions in parts of South America and partial or complete signal loss for up to two hours, raising concerns.
Dr. Jad Al-Qadi, the head of the National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research in Egypt, explains that the sun has activities such as solar flares and electromagnetic storms known as “solar storms.”
Al-Qadi added that solar activity is classified into cycles with an average duration of 11 years, noting that we are currently in “Cycle 25, which began four years ago in 2019.”
The Egyptian official explained that when a solar storm reaches a level of 5, it can affect the internet and high-pressure towers north of latitude 42, which includes northern Europe and the North Pole.
He further stated that “such levels of solar storm intensity have not occurred in the recorded solar activity except in the twentieth century, and at that time, there was neither the internet nor high-pressure towers.”
He clarified that “the current solar cycle activity ranges from 2 to 2.5 so far, meaning that the electromagnetic storm does not have any effects on electricity or the internet on Earth.”
