Massive solar storm set to hit Earth; To impact GPS, phone signal

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a solar storm is headed towards Earth at a speed of 1.6 million kilometres per hour which is likely to hit the planet.

The solar flare is flowing from an equatorial hole in the sun’s atmosphere and it was first detected on July 3.

Reports said that the upcoming solar flare is likely to hit Earth’s satellites which will impact the GPS navigation. It will also affect the satellite of television. The reports also claim that the solar flare could affect our mobile phone signals and even impact the electricity supply in some parts of the world.

Experts fear that the strong winds may trigger a geomagnetic storm in Earth’s magnetosphere.

What is geomagnetic storm ?

A geomagnetic storm, commonly referred to as a solar storm, is a temporary disturbance of the Earth’s magnetosphere due to the efficient exchange of energy from solar winds entering Earth’s space environment.

The disturbance that drives the magnetic storm may be a solar coronal mass ejection (CME) or a co-rotating interaction region (CIR), a high-speed stream of solar wind originating from a coronal hole.

What is solar flare ?

A solar flare is a sudden flash of increased brightness on the Sun, usually observed near its surface and in close proximity to a sunspot group which affects all layers of the solar atmosphere.