Radiation paralyzed radio communications for 30 minutes
April 30, an extremely powerful solar flare occurred on the Sun, causing massive radio communications blackouts throughout the Pacific region. The eruption reached its maximum intensity at 19:46 Eastern Time and ended at 19:58 in the same time zone.
«Solar flares» — These are sudden bursts of intense electromagnetic radiation on the surface of the Sun. They are classified by size using letter designations: «X-class» are the most powerful, followed by «M-class» (10 times weaker than X-class), «C-class» (10 times weaker than M-class), «B-class» (10 times weaker than C-class) and, finally, «A-class» (10 times weaker than B-class), practically invisible to the Earth.
Within each class, numbers from 1 to 10 (and higher for the X-class) indicate the relative strength of the flash. According to Spaceweatherlive.com, the April 30 flare was designated M9.53 as measured by NASA's GOES-16 satellite, which is only a fraction off the X-class level.
Shortwave radio interference, like those observed over the Pacific Ocean, typically occurs shortly after powerful solar flares due to the pulse of X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation emitted during such events. This radiation reaches the Earth at the speed of light and ionizes the upper atmosphere.
Ionization creates a medium with increased density, through which it is more difficult for high-frequency short-wave radio signals to penetrate over long distances. According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, radio waves interacting with electrons in ionized layers lose energy due to more frequent collisions, which can lead to radio signals being degraded or completely absorbed.
Radiation from the April 30 solar flare affected sunlit regions of the Pacific Ocean. «Mariners and radio amateurs may have noticed signal loss at frequencies below 20 MHz for as long as 30 minutes after the peak of the flare», — Spaceweather.com reports.
Solar activity increases as we approach solar maximum — the peak of the 11-year solar cycle, indicated by an increase in the number of sunspots. Despite the large number of sunspots visible in recent weeks, our star behaved relatively calmly. But not this time.
A near-X-class flare occurred in the sunspot region AR3654 and was the most powerful eruption in this region to date. «Despite a large number of sunspots over the past couple of weeks, today's flare is the first powerful flare in recent memory! When and where will the next X-Class Event happen?» — astrophysicist Ryan French posted on social networks.
Scientists are keeping a close eye on the Sun as it approaches solar maximum, as increased solar activity could affect life on Earth.
Powerful flares can significantly affect the operation of satellites and ground-based technologies. That's why numerous organizations such as NASA, NOAA and the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) closely monitor solar activity. They can send warnings to solar flare-vulnerable technology and infrastructure sectors so that appropriate precautions can be taken in the event of potentially hazardous «space weather».
«We can't ignore space weather, but we can take appropriate measures to protect ourselves»,— noted at NASA.
However, there is no need to worry about the so-called «killer outbreaks» does not exist. While solar flares can cause significant damage to the technological world, they do not contain enough energy to cause long-term damage to the Earth itself. «Even in the worst case scenario, solar flares are not physically capable of destroying the Earth», — reminiscent of NASA.