Biggest solar flare in years set to blast Earth's atmosphere; could impact GPS, power grids
A massive solar flare could make for a beautiful night for people in the northern United States - provided it doesn't knock the lights out.
The blast of charged particles unleashed from the sun earlier this week has been peppering the Earth over the last few days, but it's biggest punch is expected to hit the Earth's atmosphere on Thursday.
Monday's eruption, considered an X-class flare, is the biggest solar flare in four years. It is already being blamed for disrupting radio communication in China, and could potentially affect power grids and satellite communication around the globe.
However, for the United States, the most likely outcome from this latest space storm could be a colorful night sky over New England and even parts of New York State.
"It won't hit us dead-on," physicist Dean Pesnell, project scientist for NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, told National Geographic.
The moon may make it difficult to see, but stargazers may be able to catch a reddish glow among the stars.
"X-class flares are the most powerful of all solar events that can trigger radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms," NASA said on Tuesday.
The China Meteorological Administration reported that Monday's solar flare caused "sudden ionospheric disturbances" in the atmosphere above China and jammed short-wave radio communications in the southern part of the country.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/02/17/2011-02-17_solar_flares_could_dazzle_ny_sky.html#ixzz1EFO4brQM
A massive solar flare could make for a beautiful night for people in the northern United States - provided it doesn't knock the lights out.
The blast of charged particles unleashed from the sun earlier this week has been peppering the Earth over the last few days, but it's biggest punch is expected to hit the Earth's atmosphere on Thursday.
Monday's eruption, considered an X-class flare, is the biggest solar flare in four years. It is already being blamed for disrupting radio communication in China, and could potentially affect power grids and satellite communication around the globe.
However, for the United States, the most likely outcome from this latest space storm could be a colorful night sky over New England and even parts of New York State.
"It won't hit us dead-on," physicist Dean Pesnell, project scientist for NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, told National Geographic.
The moon may make it difficult to see, but stargazers may be able to catch a reddish glow among the stars.
"X-class flares are the most powerful of all solar events that can trigger radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms," NASA said on Tuesday.
The China Meteorological Administration reported that Monday's solar flare caused "sudden ionospheric disturbances" in the atmosphere above China and jammed short-wave radio communications in the southern part of the country.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/02/17/2011-02-17_solar_flares_could_dazzle_ny_sky.html#ixzz1EFO4brQM
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