SPACE experts are watching out for a new solar flare that could “graze” Earth on Friday 13.
That day may be unlucky for some but Earth should be okay even if the flare causes a solar storm.
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The experts at SpaceWeather.com explained: “Friday the 13th could be a lucky day for auroraphiles.
“A CME launched by yesterday’s cluster of southern explosions on the Sun might graze Earth’s magnetic field on May 13th.
“This is a low confidence forecast. If/when the CME arrives, its glancing blow could spark minor geomagnetic storms and auroras at high latitudes.”
The phrase “auroraphiles” refers to people who like watching pretty natural light displays like the Northern Lights.
Auroras are one of the positive effects produced by solar storms but there are also several negatives.
The predicted Friday 13 solar flare has been labelled as a CME.
A CME is a type of solar flare called a coronal mass ejection.
It’s a huge expulsion of plasma from the Sun’s outer layer, called the corona.
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When solar flares hit Earth’s magnetic field, they can cause geomagnetic storms that affect our satellites and the power grid.
A recent solar storm caused radio blackouts around the Atlantic Ocean that lasted for over an hour.
Each solar storm that hits Earth is graded by severity.
Intense flares pose can pose a threat to humans on the International Space Station.
They can be deadly for an astronaut if they result in injury or interfere with mission control communications.
A minor storm can confuse migrating animals that rely on the Earth’s magnetic field for a sense of direction.
Fortunately, the Earth’s magnetic field helps to protect us from the more extreme consequences of solar flares.
Each solar flare is made up of intense electromagnetic radiation that bursts from the Sun every so often and can send a stream of highly charged particles in our direction.
This radiation could be harmful to us if we didn’t have the protection of our magnetic field.
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.
The Sun is currently at the start of a new 11 year solar cycle, which usually sees eruptions and flares grow more intense and extreme.
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