As NOAA issues WARNING for solar storm today, new sunspot sparks fears for blackouts

tech.hindustantimes.com:

After almost three weeks of remaining relatively dormant, the solar activity is ramping up again. In the last few days, multiple new developments have created a concern for astronomers and researchers. First on the list is the emergence of a new sunspot that has been spotted on the southeastern limb of the Sun. It has already exploded once, producing an M4-class solar flare that sparked radio blackouts on Earth on May 31. As it now moves to face the Earth, fears of intense solar storms are at an all-time high.

In separate news, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasters have issued a warning for a solar storm today, June 2. According to a report by SpaceWeather.com, “NOAA forecasters say that minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on June 2nd when a stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. The gaseous material is flowing from a pair of holes in the sun's atmosphere”.

While the solar storm that is expected to hit the Earth is a minor one, it is still capable of causing damage to GPS signals and small satellites. Further, in rare instances, they can even spark blackouts on Earth.

However, this solar storm is not even the biggest worry for the Earth. In the coming weeks, the sunspot, which has been named AR3323, will be facing the Earth. Given its unstable magnetic field, it is very probable that it will be exploding again in the days to come. If that does happen, a more intense solar storm is very likely.

A solar storm like that today can be quite terrifying. It can disrupt GPS, hamper mobile networks and the internet, and even cause a massive power outage by damaging the power grids. Even electronic devices such as pacemakers and supercomputers on Earth are not safe