SOLAR flares have a small chance of hitting Earth today.
There’s said to be a chance of both M-class flares and X-class flares, which can cause radio blackouts and radiation storms.
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The experts at SpaceWeather.com said: “There are six sunspots on the sun today, a relatively large number.
“However, all of them have stable, quiet magnetic fields unlikely to explode.
“NOAA forecasters say there is a 5% chance of M-class flares and no more than a 1% chance of X-flares on July 27th.”
An M-class flare is considered medium strength and if one hits Earth it can cause brief radio blackouts around our planet’s poles and even some satellite communication issues.
They can also cause solar storms of varying strength.
X-class flares are much stronger and can cause planet-wide radio blackouts.
They can also cause long-lasting solar storms.
Solar flares are bursts of radiation from the Sun that sometimes hit Earth.
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Nasa explains: “A solar flare is an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots.”
Adding: “Flares are also sites where particles (electrons, protons, and heavier particles) are accelerated.”
Solar flares can last just minutes or shoot out streams of radiation for hours.
The good news is that Earth largely protects us from the damaging impact of solar flares by using its magnetic field.
They’re not threatening the health of humans on Earth but sometimes pose a threat to astronaut safety.
They can impact satellite communications as well as cause radio blackouts.
In 1989, a strong solar eruption shot so many electrically charged particles at Earth that the Canadian Province of Quebec lost power for nine hours.
Communications usually return to normal once a solar storm is over.
One good thing about solar storms is that they can produce very pretty natural light displays like the Northern Lights.
Auroras are examples of the Earth’s magnetic field getting bombarded by the solar wind, which creates pretty green and blue displays.
