The incident, which occurred during the daytime on March 28, caused communications to be cut off for about an hour in parts of Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
This is because this explosion on the Sun hurls a plasma wave of charged particles into space. When the plasma stream reaches Earth and interacts with the magnetic field that surrounds the planet like a shield, it is called a “solar storm”.
Scientists have categorized this solar storm as “class X”.
It classifies solar flares into 5 categories (A, B, C, M and X) according to the intensity of the X-rays they emit. Explosions are 10 times the intensity of the previous one at each level.
The X class represents the most powerful explosions in this ranking.
After these explosions, the particles interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field create the aurora, which is the scene of unique landscapes in northern latitudes. But at the same time, the navigazson can damage their GPS and communication systems, preventing them from working.
Some violent explosions may also endanger the lives of astronauts aboard the orbiting International Space Station.
Solar activity is increasing
Recently, the explosions on the Sun have been intensifying. This means that the Earth is exposed to plasma streams more frequently.
Scientists state that the explosions in the star will increase and reach its peak in a few years. Because the Sun is currently in a moving phase.
Every 11 years, the star completes a calm or stormy cycle and starts a new one. It is known that the Sun entered its 25th cycle in 2019. The quiet one of these cycles, that is, the periods when the explosions and spots on the star decrease to the minimum level, is called the “solar minimum”.
The phases where sunspots increase and explosions become more frequent are called “solar maximum”.
In 2025, the Sun’s solar maximum phase will reach its zenith. For this reason, scientists expect severe explosions to affect the Earth, especially around 2025.