| UPDATED: 15:20, Wed, Feb 17, 2021
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Several small cracks have temporarily opened in Earth s magnetic shield, astronomers have revealed. The phenomenon is relatively common and occurs when Earth is under an intense barrage of solar particles. Earth is now in the midst of the aftermath of a solar storm - which is seeing a barrage of particles hit our planet after travelling from the Sun - which allowed the cracks to open.
A “Perfect Coronal Mass Ejection” Could Be a Nightmare 02/10/2021
Space Weather considers what might happen if a worst-case coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth a “perfect solar storm,” if you will.
In 2014, Bruce Tsurutani of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Gurbax Lakhina of the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism introduced the “
perfect CME.” It could create a magnetic storm with intensity up to the saturation limit, a value greater than the
Carrington Event of 1859, the researchers said. Many other spaceweather effects would not be limited by saturation effects, however. The interplanetary shock would arrive at Earth within about 12 hours, the shock impingement onto the magnetosphere would create a sudden impulse of around 234 nanoteslas (nT), and the magnetic pulse duration in the magnetosphere would be about 22 seconds. Orbiting satellites would be exposed to “extreme levels of flare and interplanetary CME (ICME) shock-accelerated particle radiatio
NASA finds spot on Sun s surface that could grow into huge solar flare within days dailystar.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailystar.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
These solar particles are then blasted into space, which can sometimes hit Earth.
Astronomers revealed the spot is growing on the southern hemisphere of the Sun and could grow to a point where it releases a solar flare.
Astronomy site Space Weather said: A new sunspot is emerging in the sun s southern hemisphere, right here. So far it is small and quiet, posing no threat for strong flares.
Sunspot opening on the surface of the Sun and could spark solar flare, NASA images show (Image: NASA)
A sunspot has been opening on the surface of our Sun (Image: NASA) If the region continues to grow, it will likely be assigned an official number (AR2802) later today.
The video shows Jupiter lingering in the background of the CME as NASA performed a coronograph.
A coronograph is used to take images of the Sun by creating an artificial eclipse using an opaque disc in front of a satellite s camera.
This allows scientists to study flares from the Sun without images being obscured by the Sun s glaze.
NASA satellite captures solar flare on video with Jupiter in the background (Image: GETTY)
The Sun releasing a CME (Image: NASA)
Astronomy site Space Weather said: On February 4, the SOHO watched a flux rope CME sail into space almost directly in front of Jupiter.