A cannibal sun eruption is expected to disrupt the Earth's magnetic field and cause radio blackouts at the planet's poles due to geomagnetic storms in the atmosphere.
The event, known as a cannibal coronal mass ejection, is when one larger CME overtakes and consumes another slower-moving CME. The two plumes of solar plasma and radiation will then merge.
Cannibal Sun Explosion
In the recent event, the slower CME was released by the sun on Friday, followed by the second, faster CME, released on Saturday. Models released by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center show that the faster CME will cannibalize the first.
The joint CME is expected to hit our planet on July 18, and scientists anticipate it could spark G1 or G2 geomagnetic storms. As per Newsweek, these storms will alter the magnetic fields surrounding the Earth and result in auroras over higher altitudes and minor fluctuations in the power grid.
CMEs are known to form when the sun's tightly wound magnetic field lines realign suddenly, which sends huge plumes of solar material into space at high speeds. In a statement, a professor of space science and physics at Canada's Athabasca University, Martin Connors, said that the solar wind typically flows past at roughly 300 to 700 kilometers per second.
He added that the solar wind is surrounded by a very small magnetic field, which is far smaller than what is found on the surface of Earth, which is the reason for compasses turning. Geomagnetic storms are alterations of our planet's magnetic environment.
Scientists classify G1 storms as minor, while G2 is considered moderate. More powerful geomagnetic storms are responsible for causing the northern lights to move southwards, which makes them visible above states that normally do not see them.
On Tuesday, NOAA said that Polar Cap Absorption (PAC) could prevent the ability to communicate via high-frequency radio propagation near the polar regions. According to Yahoo News, officials noted that the event could last from several hours to several days.
Potential Radio Blackouts
On Sunday, the agency said that solar flares were expected to continue throughout the week and added that there was a chance of X-class flares on Monday and Tuesday. This is considered the strongest type of flare and is described as "explosions on the surface of the sun."
There was a small solar flare on Friday and a "dark eruption" on the sun's surface, which was described as a "spray of dark plasma." It noted that it flew away from the sun's southern hemisphere.
The entire situation is caused by a feature known as AR3363, which first became visible earlier this month. It is located near the 4 o'clock position of the sun's face we see on our planet.
The current 11-year cycle of the sun began in December 2019 when scientists detected low activity. They expect our solar system's star to reach its solar maximum in 2025 before its activity starts fading once again, said the Scientific American.
