Radio communications on earth knocked out by powerful solar flare
BOULDER, Colorado — A powerful solar flare temporarily knocked out radio communications on Earth Thursday afternoon.
Shawn Dahl with the Space Weather Prediction Center says the strong solar flare, along with what's called a radio burst, sent a wave of energy and radiation right at planet Earth.
"The strength we saw yesterday on those particular bands was almost 10,000 times the normal background that comes from the sun," Dahl said.
Scientists say this is the largest flare since 2017, and possibly one of the largest ever recorded.
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"Any space weather event coming from the sun will not harm you as long as you're on the surface of the planet. There are industries that could be impacted though, like our technologies -- GPS accuracy, communication issues as we experienced during the event yesterday," Dahl said.
FAA facilities across the country reported those radio issues Thursday afternoon. One employee said they've never seen anything like it.
Forecasters say this storm could also lead to the northern lights over the next several days. And with the solar cycle still ramping up, there will be even more solar storms to come.
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"Between now and all the way up through 2025, perhaps even into the initial part of 2026, we could still have pretty normal space weather activity going on if things continue," Dahl said.