Jeddah Astronomy: A strong solar flare hits the Earth and a possible impact on the Arabian Peninsula

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Jeddah Astronomy: A strong solar flare hits the Earth and a possible impact on the Arabian Peninsula

Head Jeddah Astronomical Society, engineer Majid Abu Zahra, said that a strong solar flare of category The possibility of a coronal mass ejection (CME) heading toward Earth in the coming hours.

Monitoring devices also recorded a second-type radio emission at 10:12 a.m., which is clear evidence of the formation of a shock wave in The solar atmosphere, usually accompanies rapid coronal mass emission, and the speed of this emission has been estimated at about 804 kilometers per second.

Communication disturbances

He added that the first hours after the flare may witness interruptions or disturbances in high-frequency (HF) radio communications over the areas facing the sun at the time of the event, especially in Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and East Africa, due to the sudden rush of X- and ultraviolet rays into the atmosphere.

This may lead to a short radio outage of category R3 to R4 according to the scale of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, with the possibility of affecting air and maritime navigation signals within the HF and VHF bands in the same period.

Abu Zahira stressed that the event is not expected to have a direct impact on the population in the Arabian Peninsula, with the exception of some limited disturbances in radio communications that may be monitored by specialists only.

As for during In the next 24 to 72 hours, if it turns out that the coronal mass ejection is heading towards Earth, the Earth will likely witness a geomagnetic storm whose intensity ranges between moderate (G2) and strong (G3 or higher), depending on the direction of the magnetic field of the solar cloud.

Following developments

He indicated that such storms may cause fluctuations in electrical power networks in high latitudes, in addition to deviations in satellite navigation systems, And disturbances in satellite communications and space monitoring stations.

From a visual standpoint, this phenomenon may lead to an increase in the activity of the aurora borealis and its extension to areas located farther south than usual. It may be seen in northern Europe, Canada, and parts of the United States, but viewing it in the Arab world is almost impossible due to the region’s distance from the polar circle.

Abu Zahra concluded by pointing out that space monitoring centers are currently following the developments of the event to confirm the speed and direction of the mass emission. The coronal event will determine the time of its expected arrival to Earth, provided that international space weather agencies will issue their updates during the coming hours to clarify the extent of its actual impact.