Another solar flare warning has been issued, and this time the winds are coming from a new sunspot that is said to be ‘bigger than Earth.’
Experts have issued a new solar flare alert after recent flares on November 3 and October 28, which resulted in colourful auroras in northern latitudes.
The warning has been reported by UK’s Mirror and other British newspapers. The forecasters have issued severe weather warnings for Monday and Tuesday. According to SpaceWeather, “A minor stream of solar wind is approaching Earth, and it could cause polar geomagnetic unrest when it arrives on November 8 or 9.”
However, the latest forecast storm is not expected to cause significant disruption, with only minor disruptions expected. The warning coincides with the appearance of a new sunspot. The sunspot, officially known as AR2895, is thought to be ‘larger than Earth.’
Solar flares, which erupt from the sun’s surface, have the energy of approximately 2.5 million nuclear bombs.
When they collide with Earth, they can cause geomagnetic storms that disrupt radio signals and power grids. Massive solar storms can cause significant disruptions, as evidenced by the Carrington Event in 1859.
The most recent storm could cause minor disruptions in the polar regions, which are particularly vulnerable to geomagnetic storms.