It is a colossal image. It was released this week by the European Space Agency (ESA). One of the instruments on the Solar Orbiter spacecraft captured it. It is a joint ESA-NASA mission. And it is the largest solar flare ever seen.
Solar storms
The image captures what is known as a solar bulge eruption. Del Toro Iniesta, one of the Solar mission’s principal investigators, explains. “Solar bulges usually erupt by ejecting solar material. Eventually that material reaches Earth.”
“They are areas of the Sun that are denser and cooler than the surrounding area. They are suspended at the surface by the magnetic field. But when the magnetic field is disturbed, the gas is ejected.”
The image captured by Solar Orbiter “is absolutely spectacular. You see solar material coming out at great distances from the Sun. It’s the largest solar flare ever seen.”
In this case the ejection of solar material was not directed at the Earth. What happens when these particles reach the Earth? The famous solar storms occur. We should call them geomagnetic storms (they occur on Earth), although their origin is solar,” said Del Toro Iniesta.
“Solar particles are ejected with great energy. Sometimes faster than light. On Earth they find our protective shield: the Earth’s magnetic field,” he explains.
Effects of the storm
“The particles are electrically charged. When they reach the geomagnetic field they travel toward the poles. Auroras are formed, and there are other effects.” Sometimes the particles can even overcome the geomagnetic shield. They reach areas of the atmosphere closer to the Earth, such as the ionosphere, altering its chemistry. “Satellites, radio communications use the ionosphere as a mirror. If you alter the ionosphere, you alter communications.”
These disturbances can affect GPS systems, among other things. The International Space Station has a panic room, a lead-lined vault. It serves to protect astronauts from these storms.
Particle bombardment caused a multi-hour blackout in 1989 across Canada and the United States. “Our life is increasingly dependent on technology. As a result, it is increasingly vulnerable to these kinds of phenomena.”
The Solar Orbiter mission will allow scientists unprecedented observations. It will approach the Sun as no one has ever done before. The instruments sent will provide valuable information.
