Solar storms can affect the Earth’s magnetic field.

© NASA

Vienna – If your radio or cell phone reception is poor on a Saturday, broadcasters or mobile service providers should not necessarily be to blame. Because it is expected to reach Earth in the morning by the slopes of the solar flare, which could cause disturbances in the magnetic field of our planet.

“Interference in the radio network and in navigation”

According to the Central Institute of Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG), a so-called “coronal mass ejection” occurred on the sun Thursday. A solar storm takes about two days to cover the distance to Earth. Then, according to ZAMG, “minor disturbances in the radio and navigation network” over a period of about two days cannot be ruled out.

However, the most accurate impacts can only be determined shortly before the storm occurs, according to ZAMG.

The aurora borealis can be observed in mid-latitudes – also in this country – during this time, because high-energy particles can make certain atoms in Earth’s atmosphere glow. To be able to see this phenomenon, the weather also has to play along and at least allow for an occasional view of the sky.

Breakout in the strongest class “X” but the lowest

Solar flares are sudden bursts of radiation on our central star, which often throw large amounts of high-energy particles into space. If such a solar storm hits Earth, it could have severe consequences for satellites, communications systems, and power supplies.

The current eruption was rated the strongest category ‘X’, but only with the lowest given category ‘1’. The speed of the solar wind is about 1,000 kilometers per second. The solar wind is made up of tiny electrically charged particles called plasma particles that are ejected by the sun.

According to NASA, an eruption with a force of X2 is twice as powerful as the explosion that occurred now – only than X10, that is, ten times as powerful, but the space agency talks about an “extraordinarily intense” eruption.

The last similar eruption of the sun was only this summer. At that time, the GPS system had paralyzed the satellites for about an hour and caused interference to radio reception. (TT.com)