These storms are expected to cause radiation damage to orbiting satellites and the International Space Station (Image: Getty)
The sun has seen a flurry of activity on its surface recently with a solar storm hitting Earth this weekend.
The minor geomagnetic storm was caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME) launched on July 21 that has been traveling through the solar system.
This “direct impact” of the sun’s radiation formed a solar storm around the Earth.
These solar events are likely to become more frequent in the coming months, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) due to the sun’s activity cycle.
“The sun’s 11-year cycle of activity is increasing again, which means phenomena like CMEs and solar flares are increasing in frequency,” NOAA said.
“Depending on the size and trajectory of solar flares, possible effects in near-Earth space and the Earth’s magnetosphere can cause geomagnetic storms, which can disrupt electrical services and communication and navigation systems.”
These storms are also expected to cause radiation damage to orbiting satellites and the International Space Station.
NOAA’s GOES-18 satellite, launched by NASA in March of this year, observes these outbursts. The weather observation satellite has instruments on board to observe the sun, including an X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) camera that can observe the extremely high temperatures of the solar corona for events such as CMEs and solar flares.
Although this type of solar activity is unlikely to affect our daily lives, it can still affect satellites and make auroras visible in more parts of the world than usual.
NOAA recently shared the first images from GOES-18’s Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI) instrument that showed the sun in several extreme ultraviolet channels during a similar coronal mass ejection on July 10.
The sun has seen a flurry of activity on its surface recently with a solar storm hitting Earth this weekend (Image: NOAA)
GOES-18 is currently undergoing post-launch testing, including checking its instruments before they become fully operational. The satellite is expected to be ready for operational duty in early 2023.
What is a solar storm?
Solar storms occur when the Sun emits large bursts of energy in the form of solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These phenomena send a stream of electric charges and magnetic fields toward the Earth at a speed of about three million miles per hour.
Solar storms begin with large explosions called solar flares on the Sun. These explosions can be as powerful as billions of nuclear bombs.
When a solar storm hits Earth, it often produces dazzling “northern lights” in parts of the atmosphere near the Arctic Circle. Solar storms can also disrupt satellites and various forms of electronic communications.
MORE: Stunning auroras blaze over US as week-long solar storm begins to intensify
MORE: A ‘direct hit’ from the sun’s radiation has formed a solar storm around Earth