A HUGE solar flare struck Earth this morning, according to space experts.
The mass ejection of particles from the Sun hit Earth’s magnetic field but hasn’t caused a geomagnetic storm just yet.
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However, scientists think it’s still possible for a solar storm to happen today.
The space weather experts at SpaceWeather.com explained: “A CME hit Earth’s magnetic field on June 15th at 0437 UT.
“It was a glancing blow, and first contact did not spark a geomagnetic storm.
“However, G1-class storms may occur in the hours ahead as Earth moves into the CME’s dense, magnetized flank. Stay tuned.”
A CME is a type of solar flare called a coronal mass ejection, which is a huge expulsion of plasma from the Sun’s outer layer, called the corona.
This mass ejection of particles from the Sun travels through space and the Earth uses its magnetic field to protect us from it.
Each solar storm that hits Earth is graded by severity
According to the experts, we could face a G1-class solar storm later today.
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A G1-class solar storm can cause minor power grid fluctuations.
Moderate storms can cause some damage to power systems and strong storms can cause even more severe damage.
A G1 storm can also confuse migrating animals that rely on the Earth’s magnetic field for a sense of direction.
One good thing about solar storms is that they can produce very pretty natural light displays like the northern lights.
Those natural light displays are called auroras and are examples of the Earth’s magnetosphere getting bombarded by solar wind, which creates pretty green and blue displays.
The Earth’s magnetic field helps to protect us from the more extreme consequences of solar flares but it can’t stop all of them.
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.
As well as causing issues for our technology on Earth, they can be deadly for an astronaut if they result in injury or interfere with mission control communications.
The Sun has started one of its 11-year solar cycles, which usually sees eruptions and flares grow more intense and extreme.
