Powerful solar flare causes radio blackouts on Earth

Experts say the sun's activity cycle has been stronger than expected this year

Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare – as seen in the bright flash on the top right area of the Sun – on July 2, 2023. Photo: Nasa

A powerful flare released from the Sun on July 2 caused radio blackouts in parts of the US and the Pacific Ocean.

Solar activity has been really strong this year, with the Sun releasing powerful bursts of energy that can impact radio communications, power grids, navigation signals and also pose a risk to spacecraft and astronauts.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed it was an X1.0 flare, with the letter X representing the most intense flares and the number describing the strength.

Spaceweather.com, a website that tracks space weather, said that this current solar cycle is stronger than expected.

"Solar Cycle 25 wasn't expected to be this strong," the website said.

"When it began in December 2019, forecasters believed it would be a weak cycle akin to its immediate predecessor Solar Cycle 24.

"If that forecast had panned out, Solar Cycle 25 would be one of the weakest solar cycles in a century."

The Sun has an 11-year cycle and it began its latest one, called Cycle 25, in 2019, which has caused it to be more active, according to Nasa.

"Over the course of each cycle, the Sun transitions from relatively calm to active and stormy, and then quiet again. At its peak, known as solar maximum, the Sun’s magnetic poles flip," the space agency said.

Intense flares from the Sun can create solar storms that can wreak havoc on infrastructure on Earth and in its orbit, including power outages and damage to satellites.

This is why Nasa and space weather organisations regularly track the Sun's activity and prepare for worst-case scenarios.

In 1989, a destructive solar storm caused electrical blackouts across Quebec for 12 hours, affecting businesses, schools and daily lives.

The most intense solar storm ever recorded was the Carrington Event of 1859, as it sparked fires at telegraph stations and prevented messages from being sent.

Nasa said if that happened today, the impact would be much more severe, with widespread electrical disruptions, persistent blackouts and breaks in global communications.

The US space agency has been working on ways to improve the way solar activity is tracked.

It has developed a new computer model that uses artificial intelligence and satellite data to give warnings of solar storms 30 minutes before they hit.

The Deep Learning Geomagnetic Perturbation, or Dagger, can accurately predict geomagnetic disturbances worldwide in advance, providing crucial time to minimise their impact.