Recent strong solar flare can hamper satellite communication

Recent strong solar flare can hamper satellite communication

Subject: Science & Tech

Context- There is a strong ionospheric perturbation is ongoing over India, South East Asia and the Asia-Pacific regions, according to scientists, which has caused the flare.

Concept-

• Solar flares can disrupt telecommunication and satellite-based services in India and other parts of South East Asia in the coming days predicts solar physicists.
• With a large number of sunspots likely to face Earthwards soon, the Sun might continue to send electromagnetic radiations towards the Earth.
• The Earth has been facing solar flares frequently since April 15, said the data gathered by the Centre of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI), operating at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata.

About Solar Flares:

• A solar flare is a sudden flash of increased brightness on the Sun, usually observed near its surface and in proximity to a sunspot group.
• Powerful flares are often, but not always, accompanied by a coronal mass
• Solar flares originate from the Sun’s active regions, like sunspots (the darker areas on the solar surface).
• These bursts of electromagnetic radiation that interfere with electromagnetic rays from satellites and telecommunication towers can last from a few minutes to some hours.
• They end up hitting GPS-based services, and space station operations — especially the sunlight side.
• High-frequency radio signals can be completely lost or rendered of poor quality due to solar flares.
• solar flares can lead to ionization in the lower ionospheric levels. Radio signals in the 3 to 30 MHz radio band are used for aviation and weather services, among others can get lost due to these flares.

About CESSI:

• The Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI) is a multi-institutional Center of Excellence hosted by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata and has been established through funding from the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
• CESSI aims to explore the Sun’s activity, generate the understanding necessary for space weather forecasting, hunt for gravitational waves, support national space science initiatives, participate in international capacity building activities and pursue public-private partnerships in space science research.
• The Center will take advantage of high-performance computing facilities, cloud computing and the high-speed National Knowledge Network grid to achieve its goals.