NASA Warns About Blackouts that Could Hit the Earth and Possibly Cause Damage

• A powerful X1.2-class solar flare erupted from the Sun on Tuesday, sending a burst of radiation toward Earth and sparking warnings from NASA
• The flare triggered immediate radio blackouts across parts of the Pacific and has placed global communication and power infrastructure on alert
• Scientists are closely watching the unstable sunspot responsible, as more intense eruptions may follow in the coming days

A powerful X-class solar flare erupted from the Sun on Tuesday, triggering alerts from NASA over potential radio blackouts and disruptions to communications and power systems on Earth.

The solar flare, classified as an X1.2 event—the most intense category of solar flare—erupted from the Earth-facing side of the Sun at approximately 6pm ET.

According to NASA, “X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about their strength.”

This high-energy explosion unleashed a surge of ionising radiation, magnetic forces, and intense heat into space, all of which pose a risk to technology on Earth, particularly in regions facing the Sun at the time of impact.

Shortwave radio blackout hits Pacific following solar flare

The flare’s impact was most acute in the western hemisphere, according to Dr Tamitha Skov, an independent space weather physicist. Affected regions included the US West Coast, Alaska, eastern Russia, Asia-Pacific, and possibly New Zealand.

Almost immediately, ham radio operators in Hawaii reported sudden signal loss as the flare triggered a shortwave radio blackout across the Pacific Ocean. Scientists are continuing to monitor the effects and potential aftershocks.

Sunspot 4114 under close observation after eruption

NASA and other space weather monitoring agencies have zeroed in on sunspot region 4114—identified as the source of the flare. Sunspots are cooler, magnetically active areas of the Sun’s surface often linked to solar flares.

Sunspot 4114 is forecast to remain volatile, with another eruption likely. The team at SpaceWeather.com cautioned, “Another flare may be in the offing today. Sunspot 4114 is large and unstable, with a 'delta-class' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong explosions.”

Delta-class magnetic fields, often described as pressure cookers of solar energy, are considered strong indicators of significant solar flare activity.

G1 geomagnetic storm watch issued as CME looms

On Wednesday, officials noted that the solar event likely emitted a massive coronal mass ejection (CME)—a cloud of charged solar particles. This CME is projected to reach Earth within 15 to 72 hours.

As a precaution, a G1-class geomagnetic storm watch has been issued for Friday. While it is the mildest level on the geomagnetic scale, it could cause minor power fluctuations, interfere with satellite operations, and possibly trigger auroras at high latitudes.

Earth’s vulnerability exposed in solar storm scenario

The eruption comes just weeks after experts conducted a “solar storm emergency drill” in May, designed to simulate the effects of an extreme geomagnetic event. The results were sobering.

The exercise, which ran four different storm scenarios, revealed significant vulnerabilities in Earth’s infrastructure.

One simulation involved a hypothetical “solar superstorm” strong enough to trigger an “internet apocalypse.” In this case, power grids across the US failed, with the eastern seaboard suffering prolonged blackouts lasting for weeks.

With sunspot 4114 still active, space agencies are maintaining heightened vigilance for further activity.

The world watches the skies closely, hopeful that Earth’s systems will endure any future blasts from our star.

Source: Legit.ng