INTENSE Solar flare just hit Earth over INDIA! Threatens satellites and communications

A solar flare has just hit Earth over India, South East Asia and Asis Pacific regions. The flare was of X2.2 class.

Solar Flare of X2.2 class just hit Earth over India and South East Asia. (NASA/SDO)

An intense solar flare has just hit Earth and this time, the skies over India is where the impact takes place! Scientists say that the Sun spit an X2.2 class solar flare towards the Earth and the area of impact included India, South East Asia, and Asia Pacific regions. The flare was of the X2.2 class, which is classified as the most intense of its kind and can cause harm to our communications infrastructure.

The solar flare's eruption was first reported by the Centre of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI), and was predicted to impact satellite communications and global positioning systems. "Strong ionospheric perturbation is ongoing over India, South East Asia and the Asia-Pacific regions. Expected high frequency communication blackouts, satellite anomalies, GPS scintillations, airline communication impacts," the CESSI said on Twitter.

Intense solar flare just hit Earth over India

"The X2.2 class solar flare eruption took place at 3:57 UTC (9.27 IST) from the solar magnetic active region AR12992," Dibyendu Nandi, Associate Professor and Coordinator of CESSI at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata told PTI.

Mr. Nandi said the CESSI had already predicted the eruption of an X-Class flare on April 18. He said the scientists at CESSI are currently studying the impact of the flare on us Earthlings.

Solar flares often have the tendency to impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals. And it goes without saying -- they pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. Solar flares cause geomagnetic storms that affect all electrical infrastructure. Our Earth shields us from the harmful effects of the solar storm with its strong magnetic field that creates a kind of magnetic bubble, deflecting the flares. However, it can affect our electric systems.

A solar flare that is classified as an X-Class flare is used to refer to the most intense flares. The number accompanying the letter indicates its strength, while the alphabets denote the size. According to NASA, the smallest ones are A-class followed by B, C, M and X.