Solar Storm to strike earth: No, it is not like another scene from a Hollywood sci-fi movie. From predictions made by various experts and scientists, a massive solar storm is likely to hit earth on Tuesday, July 19. Even though the strike may not disrupt the weather conditions on the planet, there are possibilities of temporary blackouts in mobile connectivity, GPS services in some parts of the green planet.
The intensity of the explosion determines the classification of the flare. The most powerful are X-class flares, followed by M, C and B-class. Generally, A-class flares are the smallest.
Predicting the solar flare, a physicist named Dr Tamitha Skov wrote: "Direct Hit! A snake-like filament launched as a big #solarstorm while in the Earth-strike zone. NASA predicts an impact early on July 19. Strong #aurora shows possible with this one, deep into mid-latitudes. Amateur #radio & #GPS users expect signal disruptions on Earth's nightside."
On July 17, in a tweet, Skov mentioned: "The long snake-like filament cartwheeled its way off the #Sun in a stunning ballet. The magnetic orientation of this Earth-directed #solarstorm is going to be tough to predict. G2-level (possibly G3) conditions may occur if the magnetic field of this storm is oriented southward!"
According to the expert, the solar storm is expected to be around G-3 magnitude. It is not expected to cause any major damage but there's a possibility of this generating northern lights in some regions of the earth.
What is a solar storm?
A solar storm is a disturbance on the Sun, which can emanate outward across the heliosphere, affecting the entire Solar System, including Earth and its magnetosphere, and is the cause of space weather in the short-term with long-term patterns comprising space climate.
Also Read: Will Earth get hit with a major solar storm? Risk of blackout arises after eight sunspots emerge on the Sun
