The Sun is getting fiery as it reaches near the peak of its 11-year solar cycle resulting in a huge number of solar flares and solar filaments exploding on its surface. Recently, one such filament was seen on the sun's surface near sunspot AR3089. According to spaceweather.com, the magnetic filament became unstable with its debris forming a "canyon of fire." And the walls of the canyon expand nearly 20,000 kilometres in height. As per the reports the hole is so big Earth would disappear in it. Astronomers are now expecting a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) to erupt from the sunspot.
Coronal mass ejections, or CME, are large clouds of solar plasma and embedded magnetic fields released into space after a solar eruption. CMEs expand as they sweep through space, often measuring millions of miles across, and can collide with planetary magnetic fields, says NASA. When a strong CME hits the Earth, it can damage the electronics in our satellites and disrupt radio communication networks.
Meanwhile, solar flares have hit the Earth unexpectedly and the strongest was registered as an M9 class that took place on August 29th at 7:07 a.m. EDT. The Space Weather Prediction Center under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had reported multiple radio blackouts over the parts of the US and South America as multiple M-class solar flares hit Earth in the last few days. The flares also triggered beautiful auroras in the Northern Hemisphere. The auroras were visible over Scotland, Alberta and Montana. An aurora is a natural phenomenon which is displayed as a natural-coloured (green, red, yellow or white) light in the sky.
As many as 16 coronal mass ejections, 6 solar flares, and 12 sunspots exploded on the Sun in just the last
Read more on tech.hindustantimes.com