Solar Flare Burst Cracked The Earth’s Magnetic Field, Caused Radio Blackouts?

A recent study detected that a crack in the magnetic shield of the Earth caused by a solar flare has exposed the planet to offensive radiation. The magnetic field which protects the Earth from hazardous cosmic radiation may be more vulnerable, than ever thought before.

As per a report published in Weather.com, a study was published about the event which stated that the flare triggered a geomagnetic storm that emitted a burst of cosmic rays. These cosmic rays have weakened the Earth's magnetic shield. The source of the cosmic ray was huge solar plasma which traveled for 40 hours from the Sun to reach the Earth. The study was published in a journal named Physical Review Letters.

According to RT.com, researchers from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India made a discovery while analyzing a galactic cosmic ray burst that caused radio blackouts across North and South America. The intensity of the sun's flare was so deep that the researchers claimed it would have reduced the magnetic field from 11 times the radius of the Earth to four times its radius, thus, allowing the shield to recover.

Researchers utilized the data from the GRAPES-3 muon telescope in Ooty, India, in order to kindle the burst. This telescope is the largest and most sensitive cosmic ray monitor. The result directed towards the effect on Earth would have required a crack in the magnetic field which lasted for nearly two hours. Nothing more can be done to protect the Earth from any future cracks. It can leave the planet under steady exposure to radiation and it can also lead to the eradication of our atmosphere.

It is described as one of the most powerful geomagnetic storms in the history. Scientists believe that the rays temporarily weakened the polar magnetic field, thus, allowing the cosmic rays to enter the field. The magnetic field of the Earth generally averts the most cosmic rays, protecting us from harmful radiation.