solar flare
December 16, 2023
The US space agency warns of a violent solar storm. This could also cause problems on Earth.
According to NASA, an X-class solar flare, the highest category, occurred on December 14th. A huge amount of energy is released into space. Among other things, charged particles are ejected from the Sun into space. When these hit the Earth's magnetic field, it is called a solar or magnetic storm.
Possible consequences of a solar storm include: Increased northern lights and disruption of satellites, radio or internet connections. On average, the phenomenon takes one to three days to travel from the Sun to Earth. Hence, the solar storm will likely hit Earth this weekend. A similar strong eruption last occurred in 2017 and led to radio and internet outages in South America.