A significant solar storm affected Indonesia from October 11 to October 13, 2024. The event has drawn attention due to its potential link to the recent high temperatures experienced in various regions, including Jabodetabek.
According to NASA, solar storms are massive explosions of particles, energy, magnetic fields, and material released by the Sun into the solar system. These eruptions often occur when tangled magnetic fields on the Sun's surface become so convoluted that they release vast amounts of energy in the form of particle and radiation bursts.
This process, known as 'magnetic reconnection,' can lead to phenomena such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
However, Andri Ramdhani, head of the Public Meteorology Center of Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), clarified that the hot weather currently affecting Indonesia is not directly related to the solar storm. He explained that the high temperatures in regions such as Java, Nusa Tenggara, and Jabodetabek are primarily due to clear weather conditions with minimal cloud formation during the day.
Ramdhani stated, 'There is no direct connection.' He further noted that many areas in southern Indonesia are still experiencing the dry season, while others are transitioning into the rainy season, which typically occurs from October to November. This transitional period is characterized by hot and sunny mornings followed by sporadic rainfall in the afternoons and evenings.
As the Sun's apparent motion in October places it at approximately 5 degrees South Latitude, regions like Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara receive maximum solar radiation intensity.