Asia, Australia “lost” radio power because of being hit by 2 space flares-Information Technology

Scientists have identified the culprits of several short-wave radio blackouts that have occurred in Asia and Australia: two M1-type space flares.

According to Science Alert, sunspot AR2993 spewed out two consecutive M1-type flares on April 25, causing a number of shortwave radio blackouts across Asia and Australia, affecting many of our equipment. People.

Cosmic flares fired by stars like the Sun are actually violent eruptions of electromagnetic radiation. Class M flares are considered “medium sized” that can disrupt some radio frequencies and may expose astronauts on missions around the planet to higher-than-normal radiation levels. .

The Sun is in a period of explosive activity in an 11-year cycle, with many sunspots appearing – Photo: NOAA

In an interview with Live Science, solar physicist Dean Pesnell from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said AR2993 covers an area of ​​hundreds of millions of square miles and the Earth enters its active zone. like an egg in a nest.

Sunspots are regions where the magnetic field is temporarily stronger than the surrounding area. This magnetic field blocks the flow of hot gas from within the star, making the sunspot cooler. However, sometimes the sunspot is “overloaded” and releases cosmic flares.

Sometimes flares even trigger a more powerful phenomenon known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), or plasma fireballs. Each time the CME hits, the aurora will light up in many areas of the Earth, leading to the risk of power grid failure, radio wave loss, navigation system disturbances, and misdirection of migratory animals.