New Delhi: A very powerful solar storm is heading towards the earth and may hit today. The speed of the solar storm is around 1.6 million kilometers per hour (kmph) it means 16 lakh kmph.
A solar storm is a disturbance on the Sun, which can emanate outward across the heliosphere and affect an entire Solar System, including Earth. A solar storm is also referred to as a geomagnetic storm that can cause a temporary disturbance of the Earth’s magnetosphere due to a solar wind shock wave.
According to the media report, a powerful solar storm is likely to disrupt the Phone and GPS signals upon impact. The storm originated from the Sun’s atmosphere but full-fledged geomagnetic storms are unlikely. However, it could spark high-altitude auroras.
Geomagnetic storms basically refer to major or minor disturbances occurring in Earth’s magnetosphere due to the efficient exchange of energy from solar winds entering Earth’s space environment.
The storm is moving towards the direction of the earth and is expected to batter parts of the planet on July 11 or 12. The Space Weather Prediction Centre of the United States has predicted that “The solar flare is likely to be centered on a sub-solar point on the sunlit side of Earth. Latest predictions say the powerful flare can cause communication disruption and wide-area blackout of HF (high frequency) radio communication for an hour or more.”
According to the statement given by the US Space agency – NASA, “There is a chance that its speed may increase further. Besides the communication infrastructure on Earth, the satellites in the upper atmosphere may also get affected by solar flares.”
Experts have also said that some places may see blown-out transformers if the current in power lines is high.