Although not aimed directly at Earth, the "explosion's debris" is forecast to trigger a minor solar storm in the magnetosphere surrounding Earth on Friday, July 23.
CMEs and flares can, in turn, trigger solar storms by casting high-speed streams of charged material at the magnetosphere - the region of space around Earth that is dominated by the planet's magnetic field?
Solar storms can cause a wide range of effects from minor disruptions to satellite operations, to full-blown blackouts.
A G1 storm can cause "weak power grid fluctuations" and have a "minor impact on satellite operations".
Weak solar storms are also known to have an impact on migratory animals and can trigger beautiful auroras.
G5 Extreme storms have the potential to cause power blackouts and power grids "may experience complete collapse"
Solar storms also have the potential to have a devastating impact on air traffic by disrupting communications between aircraft and traffic control on the ground
According to a 2013 report the economic cost of a major solar storm hitting Earth would cause £0.43trillion to $1.87trillion ($0.6trillion to $2.6trillion) in damages in the US alone
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