{"id":77239,"date":"2026-01-22T15:20:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T09:50:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=77239"},"modified":"2026-01-22T15:30:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T10:00:32","slug":"solar-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/solar-storm\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Storm, Meaning, Impact, Latest News"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Solar Storm Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<div class=\"flex flex-col text-sm pb-25\">\n<article class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-turn-id=\"request-WEB:55bd9193-91ce-49f5-94ff-ea2547100204-20\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-4\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\">\n<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\">\n<div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-1\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"ae70e397-ba21-4045-b7ce-380615d8b25b\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-mini\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[1px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full wrap-break-word light markdown-new-styling\">\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"146\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">The biggest Solar Radiation Storm hit Earth&#8217;s magnetic field in past 23 years, producing spectacular auroras visible across the United States and larger parts of Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<h2><b>About Solar Storm<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A solar storm is a <\/span><b>sudden explosion of particles, energy, magnetic fields, and material blasted into the solar system by the Sun.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>What Causes a Solar Storm?<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Sun creates <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a <\/span><b>tangled mess of magnetic fields.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These magnetic fields <\/span><b>get twisted up as the Sun rotates,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0with its equator rotating faster than its poles.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Solar storms typically begin when <\/span><b>these twisted magnetic fields<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the Sun <\/span><b>get contorted and stretched <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">so much that they<\/span><b> snap and reconnect <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(in a process called <\/span><b>magnetic reconnection<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), <\/span><b>releasing large amounts of energy.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These powerful eruptions can <\/span><b>generate any or all of the following:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a bright flash of light called a <\/span><b>solar flare.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a <strong>solar <\/strong><\/span><b>radiation storm, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or flurry of solar particles propelled into space at high speeds.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an enormous cloud of solar material, called a <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/what-are-coronal-mass-ejections-cmes\/\" target=\"_blank\">coronal mass ejection<\/a>,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that billows away from the Sun.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>How Does a Solar Storm Affect Us?<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>When directed toward Earth,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a solar storm can create a <\/span><b>major disturbance in Earth\u2019s magnetic field<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, called a <\/span><b>geomagnetic storm, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that can produce effects such as <\/span><b>radio blackouts, power outages<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and beautiful <\/span><b>auroras<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They do <\/span><b>not cause direct harm to anyone<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Earth, however, as our planet\u2019s magnetic field and atmosphere protect us from the worst of these storms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What are Solar Flares?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A solar flare is an <\/span><b>intense burst of radiation, or light, on the Sun.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These flashes <\/span><b>span the electromagnetic spectrum <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 including X-rays, gamma rays, radio waves, and ultraviolet and visible light.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Solar flares are the <\/span><b>most powerful explosions in the solar system<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 the biggest ones can have as much energy as a billion hydrogen bombs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What are Radiation Storms?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Solar eruptions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can <\/span><b>accelerate charged particles \u2014 electrons and protons \u2014 into space<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at incredibly <\/span><b>high speeds<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, initiating a <\/span><b>radiation storm.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fastest particles <\/span><b>travel so quickly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> they can zip across roughly 93 million miles from the Sun to Earth in about 30 minutes or less.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>What are Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)?<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A CME is an <\/span><b>enormous cloud of electrically charged gas, called plasma<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, that erupts from the Sun.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><b>single CME<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can blast <\/span><b>billions of tons of material into the solar system <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all at once.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CMEs <\/span><b>occur in the outer atmosphere of the Sun<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, called the <\/span><b>corona<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and often look like giant bubbles bursting from the Sun.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Key Facts about Aditya-L1<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is the<\/span><b> first space-based observatory-class Indian solar mission to study the Sun.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was <\/span><b>launched <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on September 2, <\/span><b>2023<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The spacecraft is <\/span><b>placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major <\/span><b>advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation\/eclipse.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This provides a greater advantage of observing the solar activities continuously.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\">The spacecraft is carrying <b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">seven payloads<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to<\/span><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\"> observe the photosphere, chromosphere, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">outermost layers of the Sun <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">using electromagnetic and particle detectors.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndtv.com\/india-news\/indias-aditya-l1-joins-global-effort-in-landmark-solar-storm-study-isro-9779067\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NDTV<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Solar Storms are powerful eruptions from the Sun causing auroras and geomagnetic storms. Learn causes, effects on Earth, CMEs, flares, and Aditya-L1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":77282,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[21,4127,22,23],"class_list":{"0":"post-77239","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-studies","8":"tag-prelims-pointers","9":"tag-solar-storm","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-prelims-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}