The sun spewed out an absolute glare. On December 14, an active sunspot region called AR 3514 exploded with an X2.8 solar flare, the most powerful category our star is capable of. The flare is the strongest we have seen in the current solar cycle and the strongest since Flare X8.2 in September 2017.

This event caused a moderate radio blackout concentrated in South America, a temporary degradation or complete loss of radio signals at high frequencies for two hours. At the same time, the Sun caused a coronal mass ejection, or CME, that launched up to billions of tons of plasma and magnetic fields into the solar system, showering everything in its path with solar particles. And some may be heading towards Earth. Agencies like NOAA are currently investigating; If so, we could be facing a moderate geomagnetic storm.

First of all, you don’t need to worry. Although the flash was powerful, it was directed slightly to the side rather than directly in front of the Earth; This means the impact may be oblique. Or maybe you won’t get in at all. Analysis is ongoing, but if it yields results, which is expected to occur on December 17, according to the UK Met Office, it could lead to a slight geomagnetic impact on the storm.

However, we may see movement earlier. The weaker CME that erupted on December 13 will be the first to reach Earth, according to data from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Here’s what it means. A geomagnetic storm is what happens when a stream of solar particles collides with the Earth’s magnetic field. Since it takes some time for these particles to get here, the storm will occur a few days after the CME launches.

This has several consequences that increase as the storm progresses. There are five levels; G1 and G2, small and medium, are the two lightest categories.

When solar particles interact with the Earth’s magnetic field, they can create electrical currents that flow through electrical grids, which is why we may see some fluctuations in the electrical grid. Changes can occur in the environment in low Earth orbit that alter the spacecraft’s drag effect, meaning some satellites may need course corrections. And there may be interruptions in radio communications.

There is also the possibility of aurora borealis. The 10-point Kp index for geomagnetic activity can be used as a measure to estimate polar activity. NOAA predicts geomagnetic activity will reach Kp5 on December 15 and 16. This means that higher latitudes will likely have a bright aurora.

Such activities of the Sun are quite normal. We are reaching the peak of the 11-year operating cycle; This means more sunspots, more flares and more CMEs. At the peak, known as solar maximum, the polarity of the Sun’s magnetic field will reverse and activity will begin to decrease. We don’t know exactly when the solar maximum will occur; In fact, we probably won’t know until it’s destroyed. According to current forecasts, this will happen already in January 2024.

AR 3514 was a very active region. In addition to the X-class flare, two M-class flares also exploded on the same day. This is the second most powerful category of solar flares. We may see more activity from this, but it is unlikely to impact Earth; The region is now moving away from us and will soon disappear on the far side of the Sun. But don’t worry. There must be many more before the current solar cycle ends.