Photo/Illutration This photo provided by NASA, taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, shows a solar flare, the bright flash in the center of the sun, on Oct. 3. (Solar Dynamics Observatory/NASA via AP, File)

A massive solar flare explosion occurred on the sun on Oct. 9, creating the possibility that the Northern Lights can be seen again over Hokkaido and other areas on the following nights.

According to the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), the released plasma gas could reach the Earth late in the evening of Oct. 10, disrupting wireless communications and increasing the error rate of the Global Positioning System (GPS).

The NICT said that the scale of the “magnetic storm,” which disrupts the Earth’s magnetic field, is on the same scale as the one in May this year. The solar storm could lead to the aurora borealis being visible in the night skies in Hokkaido and other northern areas, according to the NICT.

“The magnetic storm is expected to continue for one to two days," said Yuki Kubo, a NICT official, during a hastily arranged online news conference held at 6 p.m. on Oct. 9. "On the other hand, no high-energy particles were generated that could reach the atmosphere, so there is no risk of radiation exposure to the human body. There will also be no impact on cellphone communications.”

Solar flares erupt near sunspots on the surface of the sun.

According to the NICT, an “X-class” explosion, the largest on a five-point scale, occurred at 10:56 a.m. on Oct. 9 in Japan Standard Time.

The scale was X1.8 and it erupted when the sunspot was facing the Earth.

Plasma gas released by the explosion is expected to reach the Earth late at night on Oct. 10 and in the early morning on Oct. 11, causing a magnetic storm.

Satellites may be affected, and radio communications for disaster prevention and firefighting, and shortwave communications for aircraft control may be disrupted.

The latest explosion of X1.8 is not as large as those occurred in May, when X-class explosions, including the largest X8.7, occurred in succession.

However, since the explosion occurred in the center of the sun and the plasma gas will follow a direct course to the Earth, the same level of caution as advised in May is necessary, the NICT said.

In the May solar flares, magnetic storms caused auroras to be observed at low latitudes where they are not usually seen, such as Switzerland and Germany. In Japan, the night sky turned red over a wide area, including Hokkaido and the Tohoku region.

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