By Ellyn Lapointe For Dailymail.Com 10/2/2024
Earth is bracing for an extreme geomagnetic storm this week after the sun blasted a massive solar flare toward our planet this week.
Sunspot AR3842 - a dark, fast-growing region of strong magnetic fields on the sun's surface - erupted Tuesday evening around 6pm ET, producing the second-strongest flare in the last five years.
The flare has already caused a shortwave radio blackout over Hawaii and shot a coronal mass ejection (CME) - a blast of solar plasma and high energy particles - into space.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted that the CME will slam into Earth early to mid-day on October 5.
The collision could trigger a strong geomagnetic storm that could cause radio blackouts, power grid damage and disruptions to satellite communications.
Tuesday's flare was an X7.1, according to NASA.
X is the largest class of solar flare, which can trigger radio blackouts across the globe and widespread damage to satellites, spacecraft and power grids.
This was the second largest solar flare to occur since the sun entered its 25th recorded solar cycle in December 2019.
More:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13916313/Earth-blasted-geomagnetic-storm.html
