An Ominous Solar Geomagnetic Storm is hurling Towards Earth

An Ominous Solar Geomagnetic Storm is hurling Towards Earth

By E. Stanley Ukeni

As the world reels from the onslaught of a series of super hurricanes that have left parts of North America and the Caribbean in ruin, an equally ominous geomagnetic storm, caused by a category X9.3 solar flare, is hurling towards earth from the sun. While focused on the menace of the series of Atlantic hurricanes, many remain oblivious to the solar storm heading our way.

On the 6^th of September 2017, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory—which is constantly monitoring the sun and recording its activities, captured the occurrence of a major solar flare. This is the result of the sun spewing out massive X-Class flares of super-hot gases and electrically charged particles—the biggest solar flare of its kind in the past twelve years.

Solar Flares and its occasionally accompanying Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) phenomena are created when the sun’s interior contorts its own magnetic fields. As the magnetic field snaps like a rubber band, it releases massive busts of electrically charged particles into space. The luminous gas particles released is the solar flares, while the solar matter from the magnetic contortions is Coronal Mass Ejections.

A category X2.2 flare was followed by an even more intense, and potentially more disruptive, X9.3 solar flare about three hours later. Both solar events were recorded by NASA’s solar monitoring instruments.    

At its peak, at about 8:02am, the sudden coronal mass ejection (CME) phenomena, which occurred along with the solar flare, has already begun interrupting satellite communications, as the initial bust of electrically charged particles from the sun hits the earth’s atmosphere.

It should be noted that Coronal Mass Ejections and Solar Flares are relatively different phenomena. However, they often times occur at the same time—during powerful solar flare events.  

Just as hurricanes are categorized based on wind intensity, the category X-Class designation represents the most intense solar flares—with an X2 designation meaning intensity that is twice as strong as an X1 designation. The last major solar flare was an X17 flare, which occurred in September of 2005. And the largest solar flare ever recorded was a category X20 in 2001.

Luckily, the earth’s invisible magnetic shield protects the inhabitants of our planet from harmful radiation from the electrically charged particles emitted from the flares. However, a strong enough solar flare can disturb the earth’s upper atmosphere—disrupting GPS and communication satellites.

In anticipation of the super charged particles from the Coronal Mass Ejection reaching the earth’s atmosphere, NASA sent out a strong geomagnetic storm alert. As of yesterday, the 7^th of September 2017, the warning remained in effect and will continue for the next few days.  NASA stated that its “analysis indicates likely Coronal Mass Ejection, associated with the X9.3 flare, arrival late on the 8^th of September into early 9^th September.”

You should expect to see intensified auroras across North America and Europe, and perhaps as far south as the Caribbean Islands, between today and tomorrow as the charged solar particles hits the upper atmosphere of our planet.

Let’s hope that this solar phenomenon does not adversely disrupt satellite transmissions much in the next few days.

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Authored by E. Stanley Ukeni, © 2017. All Rights Reserved. This material and other articles or stories posted on this blog site may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed, in whole or in part, without prior expressed written permission from the author, E. Stanley Ukeni.

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