On Tuesday, astronomers watched in amazement as a vast ‘bird wing’ solar eruption tore away from the sun’s surface. At 600,000 miles long (one million km),
A direct hit from this filament of superheated plasma and charged particles could have caused a severe or even extreme geomagnetic storm—posing potential risks not only.
To satellites and power grids but also to critical healthcare infrastructure, such as emergency medical communication systems and telemedicine networks that rely on uninterrupted connectivity.
Thankfully, scientists have now confirmed that Earth has escaped with, at worst, a glancing blow from the massive storm on Friday morning.
In this incredible video created by the European Space Agency (ESA), you can see how the planet narrowly dodged a direct hit. That means there will not be any disturbances to electronic equipment.
Or radio communications services that solar storms can trigger, which are vital in hospital coordination systems, emergency response, and insurance policy notifications during disasters.
