A solar flare occurred on Thursday, December 14. It is the strongest recorded since September 10, 2017, and is also the strongest in the current solar cycle at a certain distance. This caused a blackout of radio waves in South America and the United States, and was captured on video by NASA.
The fiery flash on the surface of the Sun, 93 miles away, was a “X” flare with the highest intensity, and affected radio communications, according to what was reported by “The Guardian” newspaper, citing NASA.
The agency captured bright-colored images of the phenomenon known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) from its Solar Dynamics Observatory, a spacecraft launched in 2010 that constantly monitors the Sun's activity.
Regarding this phenomenon, NASA said that it was a Class
A power explosion Thursday, 12/17, caused radio interference for approximately two hours in some parts of the United States and elsewhere during daylight hours. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center called it a "spectacular event, likely one of the largest solar radio events ever recorded."
The center said that its impact on radio communications was noticeable between midday and 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, and that scientists analyzed other effects of the coronal ejection “located in the far northwestern region of the Sun.”
Expectations of a solar storm that will hit the Earth soon
According to scientists, this mass may move towards planet Earth in the coming days.
If this is the case, as of Sunday 12/17, the Earth may experience a magnetic storm. It can cause significant damage to satellites, cause power outages for a very long period, perhaps several months, and may even paralyze the Internet. Researchers also estimate that railway disruptions are also possible due to interruptions in the power supply to traffic lights.