A video posted on Facebook (FB) and YouTube is claiming that a solar superstorm shut down Australia’s communication systems. This is misleading.
While a solar storm did occur on Feb. 6, it only caused radio interruptions in Australia but not a total failure of all communication signals.
Uploaded on Feb. 27, weeks after the solar storm took place, the video bore the headline:
“PINAS HUMANDA NA! Ang Kintatakutang (sic) Solar Super Storm Sumasabog na, AUSTRALIA Shutdown Ang Signal.
(Philippines be prepared! The dreaded solar superstorm is now exploding, Australia shut down its signal).
According to the United States’ Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), a minor solar storm, also called a geomagnetic storm, caused hour-long blackouts on short wave radio signals in some areas in Australia and Southeast Asia on Feb. 6.
A geomagnetic storm is caused by a moderate solar flare released by the sun on the same day. Moderate or M-class solar flares are the second strongest type of solar flares, followed by extreme or X-class flares which are the strongest, according to Stanford University’s Solar Center.
The SWPC also reported extreme solar flares throughout February but the agency noted these “still pose no significant threat to the general public.”
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration explained that solar flares could sometimes produce coronal mass ejections (CMEs) which are “giant clouds of plasma and magnetic field.” These CMEs trigger solar or geomagnetic storms which, if powerful enough, could damage the earth’s satellite systems.
While the sun’s activity is expected to increase in the next four years, there is not enough evidence to conclude that it will cause a solar superstorm or a total shutdown of communication systems on earth.
(READ: Solar superstorm causing ‘internet apocalypse’ has NO BASIS)
The video narrator merely translated a Feb. 6 article from India Today on the solar storm that caused radio interruptions in Australia.
Uploaded by FB page and YouTube channel Sa Iyong Araw, the video has received a total of 33,589 interactions.
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