Sun Strom

The biggest solar storm in five years is battering our planet exactly at this time, and may perhaps cause disruptions to satellites, power grids and communications networks larger than the then 24 hours, universe weather experts say.

Two strong solar flares erupted from the go up of the sun behind Tuesday (March 6), blasting a wave of plasma and charged particles just before Earth. After speeding through universe on 4 million mph, this eruption of material — called a coronal bulk discharge (CME) — must be hitting Earth at this time.

The storm is estimated to create strong disruptions due to an unusual combination of intense magnetic, telephone lines and radiation emissions, making it the strongest overall solar storm since December 2006, even though the flare to facilitate triggered it was not the principal, universe weather officials supposed.

The CME reached Earth this morning on all but 5:45 a.m. EST (1045 GMT), according to officials on the Space Weather Prediction Center, which is jointly managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service. While the CME did not collide with Earth head-on, the material delivered a glancing blow to the planet, and energetic particles will last to intermingle with Earth's magnetic sphere larger than the module of the generation.

The CME will likely trigger geomagnetic and solar radiation storms nowadays, which can interfere with satellites in universe and power grids on the ground, supposed Joseph Kunches, a universe weather scientist on NOAA. Aircraft to facilitate take off larger than the Earth's polar caps may perhaps potentially experience communications issues as well, and roughly for profit airliners give rise to already taken preventive steps, Kunches supposed.

"There are the impending pro induced currents in power grids," Kunches told reporters Wednesday. "Power grid operators give rise to all been alerted. It can start to cause roughly unsolicited induced currents."

The special effects of this solar storm will likely most recent pro 24 hours, and may perhaps maybe linger into Friday (March 9), Kunches supposed.

"Such a CME can effect in a critical geomagnetic storm, causing aurora on low latitudes, with potential disruption to lofty frequency telephone lines e-mail, comprehensive positioning systems (GPS), and power grids," NASA scientists supposed in a statement.

Experts furthermore predict to facilitate the magnetic storm will likely enhance average aurora displays (also branded as the northern and southern lights). So the special effects of the CME bomb Earth, these stunning light shows will be especially visible pro fill wherever it is presently night, though the sated moon of rally, which furthermore occurs Thursday, may perhaps interfere with the exhibit.

"Skywatchers on all latitudes must be alert pro auroras," astronomer Tony Phillips wrote on his website Spaceweather.Com, which methodically monitors universe weather trial.

If you snap an amazing photo of the northern light sparked by these sun storms and would like to share it pro a potential story or image gallery, please speak to SPACE.Com organization editor Tariq Malik on tmalik@space.Com.