NASA: Huge solar flare may disrupt power and communications

[Playinghardball]

Source: Raw Story
By Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON — An unusual solar flare observed by a NASA space observatory on Tuesday could cause some disruptions to satellite communications and power on Earth over the next day or so, officials said.

The potent blast from the Sun unleashed a firestorm of radiation on a level not witnessed since 2006, and will likely lead to moderate geomagnetic storm activity by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

"This one was rather dramatic," said Bill Murtagh, program coordinator at the NWS's Space Weather Prediction Center, describing the M-2 (medium-sized) solar flare that peaked at 1:41 am Eastern time in the United States, or 0541 GMT.

"We saw the initial flare occurring and it wasn't that big but then the eruption associated with it -- we got energy particle radiation flowing in and we got a big coronal mass injection," he said.

"You can see all the materials blasting up from the Sun so it is quite fantastic to look at."

More at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/06/07/nasa-huge-solar-flare-may-disrupt-power-and-communications/

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[OKNancy]

2. cool picture here

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43317790/ns/technology_and_science-space/

and very cool video here
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/unusual-solar-flare-could-disrupt-satellites-communication-and-power-on-earth/story-e6frg6so-1226071491615

[ClarkUSA]

3. Fascinating.

[hootinholler]

9. Your sig pic has me rofl

It's like The Prez is gonna do something about a solar flare.

:rofl:

-Hoot

[ClarkUSA]

10. lol

;)

[PCIntern]

4. No BS: wasn't this the premise of the apocalyptic film "2012"? n/t

[right2bfree]

7. Too a larger extent ,yes it was. nt

[TheWraith]

8. Yes, although "2012" has about as much scientific basis as the Tooth Fairy. nt

[Jeffersons Ghost]

5. K&R NASA runs a good space program

[Scuba]

6. Oh no! The sun is buringin out! Quick, cut taxes for millionaires and corporations.

[krispos42]

12. Just more proof we need to Drill Here and Drill Now

We're running out of Sun!

[Name removed]

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