ANOTHER solar flare has a chance of hitting Earth today.
A huge expulsion of particles from the Sun hit Earth yesterday and we could see a similar geomagnetic storm causing event today.
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The experts at SpaceWeather.com explained: “NOAA forecasters say there is a 25% chance of M-class solar flares today.
“The most likely source would be sunspot AR3031, which has an unstable ‘beta-gamma’ magnetic field.
“The sunspot is facing Earth, so any flares it produces will be geoeffective.”
When something is “geoeffective” it means it’s capable of causing a geomagnetic disturbance like a solar storm.
An M-class flare is considered medium strength and if one hits Earth it can cause brief radio blackouts around our planet’s poles.
They can also cause geomagnetic solar storms.
These geomagnetic storms have some positives as they’re responsible for pretty natural light displays like the Northern Lights.
Auroras like the Northern Lights are examples of the Earth’s magnetic field getting bombarded by the solar wind, which creates pretty green and blue displays.
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Solar flares are just bursts of radiation from the Sun that are shot out into space and sometimes hit Earth.
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.
