September 20, 2022
By Aahil
A sunspot active, nearing the point of exiting the visible disc of the Sun caused its glowing parting on Earth which caused the radio to go black across Africa in that of the Middle East early Friday (September 16).
Solar flares, which is classified by the M8 classification in the second-highest active category, left the Sun at 5:49 a.m. EDT (0949 GMT) on Friday and disrupted shortwave radio communication in sunny regions around the globe.
As per Spaceweather.com (opens in a new tab) amateur radio operators across Africa as well as in the Middle East could experience signal distortion up to one hour following the event.
The Met Office, the UK's forecaster of space weather, has predicted that further flare-ups could occur today prior to the disappearance of the sunspot AR3098, which lies behind the sun's limb.
Space weather forecasters predict a coronal mass eruption (CME) which is a burst of plasma charged from the corona of the Sun's upper atmosphere. It could be followed by a flare, and eventually move toward Earth.
If this is the case, the Earth may be struck by a geomagnetic trough over the next few days according to the Met Office said in a statement.
Another mild flare that occurred on the 14th of September (Sept. 15,) The Met Office said, linked to an CME that is being studied for the possibility of it to strike and hit Earth.
This could be great information for those who chase aurora since the beautiful polar lights may be more intense and evident than their usual Polar regions.