Solar Storm Warning: Massive Explosion from a Nearby Star Might Affect Earth in Near Future

A solar storm warning has been issued due to the possibility of "swirling sun debris" hitting Earth in the coming days.

A coronal mass ejection (CME) that has fled the Sun and is anticipated to threaten Earth later this week has prompted NASA to issue a warning.

While this is happening, a large eruption from a nearby star as big as the Sun might also affect Earth.

Related Article: Space Watch: Solar and Geomagnetic Storms, What Are They?

EK Draconis Explosion

A star in the constellation Draco, located over 100 light-years distant, tells us some unpleasant facts about our own Sun.

Researchers were recently shocked when the star, EK Draconis, burst into an intense light show that was more energetic than anything seen from our star. It would be disastrous for our electrical systems and satellites if our Sun erupted in the same way.

EK Draconis is nearly the same mass as the Sun, although it is considerably younger, having been discovered only 100 million years ago (as opposed to the Sun's 4.6 billion years). Both stars are formed of superheated gas.

Plasma can sometimes fall back to the solar surface and light up, causing a solar flare. Flares can be minor, as the minuscule 'campfires' on our Sun discovered by NASA's Solar Orbiter last year, but they can also be considerably larger.

Recent Solar Storm

Dr. Tamitha Skov, a space weather scientist, has warned that the Sun's outburst will strike the planet's south.

"NASA forecasts reveal a recent filament eruption by late December 11 appears to deliver a glancing hit to the south of Earth," she added.

"On Earth's nightside, expect a little disturbance, although the aurora is probable at high latitudes with periodic amateur radio and GPS troubles."

Comparing EK Draconis and the Sun

A team of astronomers investigating EK Draconis recently witnessed the star spew plasma in an outburst ten times greater than any other Sun-like star ever recorded.

Their findings were published in Nature Astronomy. They said it closely resembles CMEs (Coronal Mass Ejections) like Solar Storms. 

Research co-author Yuta Notsu, an astronomer at UC Boulder and the National Solar Observatory, said, "The results enable us to enhance knowledge on how coronal massive mass ejections have happened during the 4.6-billion-year history of Sun-sized stars and our Sun itself."

"Although such large super CMEs happened far more frequently when our Sun was younger, this event can be used as a proxy for the hypothetical super CMEs linked with possible superflares that occur once per hundred or thousand years on our present Sun."

So maybe our Sun may produce a coronal mass ejection of equal size one day.

Even the weaker solar flares we encounter are enough of a nuisance; when directed at Earth, the phenomenon may disrupt electronics and satellite orbits. A significantly large coronal mass ejection would destroy those satellites and take out the entire electric system.

Also Read: Expert Warns 'Situation Worse than Covid' if Government Ignores Solar Flare Defense   

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