GEOMAGNETIC STORM            

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Context

• Elon Musk’s Starlink has lost dozens of satellites that were caught in a geomagnetic storm a day after they were launched.
• Up to 40 of the 49 satellites were impacted, causing them to fall from orbit before they could be commissioned.

Solar storms/flares

• About: Solar storms are magnetic plasma ejected at great speed from the solar surface.
• Occurrence: They occur during the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots (‘dark’ regions on the Sun that are cooler than the surrounding photosphere), and can last for a few minutes or hours.

To read more about the sun, visit: https://www.iasgyan.in/blogs/structure-of-the-sun

Impact of Solar Flares on Earth

Not all solar flares reach Earth, but solar flares/storms, solar energetic particles (SEPs), high-speed solar winds, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that come close can impact space weather in near-Earth space and the upper atmosphere.

• Space-dependent services: Solar storms can hit operations of space-dependent services like global positioning systems (GPS), radio, and satellite communications.
• Radio communication: Geomagnetic storms interfere with high-frequency radio communications and GPS navigation systems.
• Magnetosphere: CMEs, with ejectiles loaded with matter travelling at millions of miles an hour, can potentially create disturbances in the magnetosphere, the protective shield surrounding the Earth.
• Astronauts: Astronauts on spacewalks face health risks from possible exposure to solar radiation outside the Earth’s protective atmosphere.
• Other: Aircraft flights, power grids, and space exploration programmes are vulnerable.

Final Thought

• With the increasing global dependence on satellites for almost every activity, there is a need for better space weather forecasts and more effective ways to protect satellites.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/geomagnetic-storm-that-killed-starlink-sats-7764995/