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December 9, 2024 | 06:18 pm
TEMPO.CO, Bandung - As the Sun enters the peak phase of its 11-year cycle, solar storm activity has significantly increased. Tiar Dani, an Expert Researcher in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), confirmed that the peak of this solar cycle is expected to continue through 2025.
“We are entering the 25th solar storm cycle with a predicted peak in 2024-2025,” Tiar told Tempo on Monday, December 9, 2024.
This heightened solar activity is marked by an increase in sunspots, which are dark patches on the Sun's surface. These sunspots often give rise to solar flares known as solar storms, intense bursts of energy, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), where massive amounts of solar material are ejected into space.
“Both can cause disturbances to Earth, especially to high technology,” Tiar explained.
Solar flares can disrupt radio communications, particularly those relying on high-frequency (HF) radio waves, which are crucial for aircraft pilots, disaster response teams, and volunteers. According to her, alternative communication channels can usually be employed to mitigate the impact.
CMEs, on the other hand, can have a more significant impact, reaching Earth within 2 to 3 days of their occurrence. An easy sign, she went on, is the appearance of auroras in the polar skies, such as in the Northern Hemisphere. These high-energy particles can also disrupt the operation of satellites orbiting Earth.
“To date, the disturbances have not been significant, not many satellites have been affected,” she said.
Tiar cited that a solar storm disrupted the Starlink satellite last May. On October 3, the strongest solar storm, reaching X9 on the X20 maximum scale, erupted from the sun. “It turns out that not many satellites reported disturbances,” she noted.
The latest solar storms, including a significant X2.3 flare on December 8, 2024, have caused some disruptions. Satellite operators are increasingly prepared for such events. Space agencies worldwide, including BRIN, continuously monitor solar activity and provide space weather forecasts to mitigate potential impacts on critical systems.
Tian recalled that the largest solar storm to hit Earth, known as the Carrington Flare, occurred in 1859. The eruption of electromagnetic radiation from the sun, which disrupted the Earth's geomagnetic field, spread from the North Pole toward the equator until auroras appeared in the Hawaiian sky. “If that happened now, it could bring down all satellites; it's a very rare event," she said.
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