On Monday, June 13, a three-hour-long solar flare erupted from the Sun, releasing a tremendous quantity of charged particles in the form of solar radiation.
As a consequence, it is expected that a geomagnetic storm and a radio blackout will hit the planet again, disrupting radio frequencies and satellite transmissions.
Initial observations of the solar flare were made by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).
Additionally, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) spotted the aforementioned event and issued a geomagnetic storm watch for Wednesday, June 15.
It is predicted that the protracted duration of the solar storm created a sufficient volume of particles to harm our planet's communication and global positioning system (GPS) technology, which had been compromised by prior catastrophes.
Magnetic storms and blackouts impact airplanes, electronics, and equipment that depend on technology in areas where radio and satellites are grounded, while radiation storms mainly endanger living organisms.
This is made possible by solar activity eruptions that destabilize the planet's magnetosphere.
In recent months, solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have caused numerous incidents of technology disruption in Australia, Asia, and Europe, among other regions.
The SWPC issued a G1-Minor Geomagnetic Storm Watch (G1 Watch) after a CME associated with the solar flare was rated as having the strength of an R1-Minor Radio Blackout on Monday, 4:07 a.m. UTC.
Under the watch, the SWPC said that the impending space storms and a "coronal hole with positive polarity" would likely pass through our magnetosphere.
The resulting effect will be a "G1-Minor storming."
The solar flare itself had a reported strength of M3.4, which is considered a "medium" class on a three-tier scale, with C being the lowest level and X being the greatest.
The distinct classification indicates that X-class solar flares are the most powerful.
NASA reports that the solar eruption originated from the Sun's northwest limb and travelled at 7.2 million kilometers per hour.
Reference(s): NASA