A powerful solar storm is approaching Earth at a speed of 1.6 kmph and It is likely to disrupt phone and GPS signals upon impact. A solar storm is a disturbance on the Sun which can emanate outward across the heliosphere and affect an entire Solar System, including Earth.
Besides the communication infrastructure on Earth, the satellites in the upper atmosphere may also get affected by solar flares.
The solar flare, flowing from an equatorial hole in the sun’s atmosphere that was first detected on July 3, can travel at a maximum speed of 500 km/second, according to spaceweather.com. Although full-fledged geomagnetic (magnetic field associated with Earth) storms are unlikely, lesser geomagnetic unrest could spark high-latitude auroras.
According to the latest prediction of the Space Weather Prediction Centre of the United States, the storm can also lead to a blackout of high-frequency radio communication for nearly an hour in a vast area, said a report by The Indian Express. The Centre has marked the solar flares at X1 level, ‘X’ denoting the classification and the numerical suffix denoting the strength of the flare.
