The Solar Eruption Has Triggered the Most Powerful Solar Storm in the Last 7 Years

A massive region of sunspots AR3697, which is more than ten times larger than Earth, is once again in the spotlight. It was in this area that the most powerful eruptions of recent years occurred last month, leading to the strongest geomagnetic storm in several years. Now, a new powerful eruption on the Sun has created the strongest solar radiation storm since 2017, according to Space.

Scientists from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center reported that on Saturday, June 8, an M9.7 class eruption occurred in the AR3697 region. This class is the second strongest after X class, which represents the possible most powerful eruptions on the Sun. According to scientists, this latest eruption was so strong that it triggered the most powerful solar radiation storm in the past seven years.

Such events can pose risks to spacecraft and satellite launch operations and can also disrupt shortwave radio communications on Earth. The new storm was rated at level S3 and caused widespread radio outages in the polar region of the Earth. After the solar eruption, energetic protons rushed toward our planet at nearly the speed of light. Upon reaching Earth, these particles interacted with the magnetic field and moved toward the poles.

During the M9.7 class eruption, there was also a coronal mass ejection, meaning the plasma burst into space. This plasma flow could reach the outer layers of the Earth's atmosphere on Tuesday, June 11, potentially creating a geomagnetic storm. It is expected that this storm could be of G2 level, which is moderate.

Moreover, on Monday, June 10, an even more powerful x1.5 class solar eruption occurred in the same sunspot region. This also resulted in brief radio outages in some areas of the planet. Scientists predict that the level of solar activity will decrease in the coming days, as the AR3697 sunspot region is not oriented toward Earth.