The phenomenon also cause auroras in Europe and North America, said the space agency NASA and the meteorological agency NOAA.
A strong solar flare was detected earlier this week and could affect both GPS navigation and the operation of communication satellites in the coming days.
The phenomenon also cause auroras in Europe and North America, said the space agency NASA and the meteorological agency NOAA.
“Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation,” NASA explained in a statement.
“Harmful radiation from a solar flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans; however, when it is strong enough, it can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where communications and GPS signals travel, ”the agency said.
The solar storm has been classified as an “X1-class flare,” the space agency added.
“The most intense eruptions are known as class X, while the number provides more information about their strength,” added the NASA statement.
This means that X2 would be twice as strong as Thursday’s phenomenon. According to NASA, a flare rated X10 (10 times the strength of the current flare) or stronger is considered “unusually intense.”
Space missions are not in danger
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center said an “R3 (Strong Radio Blackout) event occurred due to an X1 flash,” on Thursday.
The spaceflight of German astronaut Matthias Maurer, who is scheduled to begin his expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, is not believed to be in jeopardy.
The high-energy particles emitted by the flare could also cause certain atoms in Earth’s atmosphere to glow, leading to auroras in Central Europe and North America.
However, the phenomenon can only be seen if the weather is clear. (I)
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