SPACE weather experts have their eye on a mass ejection from the Sun.
The flare is heading our way and could cause geomagnetic solar storms on June 15.
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The space weather experts at SpaceWeather.com explained: “A CME launched by yesterday’s slow-motion solar flare (described below) is expected to pass near Earth on June 15th.
“Geomagnetic storms are possible if the CME makes contact.
“NOAA forecasters say minor G1-class storms are likely, with a chance for G2 (moderate) and a slight chance of G3 (strong) storms.”
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, the potential storms on June 15 could range anywhere from minor to strong.
A minor solar storm can have a weak impact on the power grid and satellite communications.
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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.
