Massive solar storm strikes Earth; South America suffers BLACKOUT, says NASA

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Since the beginning of 2023, the Earth has become a target of vicious solar activity. After suffering a solar storm right on the new year's day, the Earth also became a victim of another eruption in the first week of January. But now, the Sun has blasted the Earth with an even stronger solar flare. According to NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), an X1.9-class solar flare erupted on January 10 at 12:20 AM. The resultant radiation has caused a shortwave radio blackout in some regions of South America. And the worst part? Read on for more information.

The incident was reported by SpaceWeather.com on its website where it noted, “Earth-orbiting satellites have just detected an X1.9-class solar flare (Jan. 9th @ 1850 UT). The source is hyperactive sunspot AR3184, now emerging over the sun's southeastern limb….Radiation ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, causing a shortwave radio blackout centered on the Pacific side of South America”. But it gets worse. While currently unclear, solar debris (in the form of coronal mass ejections) could have been lifted off the surface of the Sun and it can cause another solar storm in days to come.

According to NASA SDO, the major portion of the solar flare struck South America and some parts of the USA. If you're wondering why solar flares are targeting the southern hemisphere these days, then it is because currently the southern hemisphere is experiencing summer and is tilted towards the Sun. That is why any radiation coming from the Sun is majorly impacting the southern half of the Earth. Australia, which was the central focus of the previous solar flare eruption, did not suffer a radio blackout as it was in the night-zone and did not face the Sun directly.

This blackout will directly