Two big explosions on the surface of the sun will cause a moderate to strong geomagnetic storm on Earth in the coming days, possibly disrupting radio and satellite communications, scientists said on Thursday.
Solar astronomer Stephen Ramsden was doing science outreach at Druid Hills Middle School when he and some students captured a flare.
“And the center of the sun exploded in massive white light,” said Ramsden. “Light started to just blow out and the center of the sun was coming at us. You could tell this was a massive flare.”
The abnormally large flare, known as x-class, will reach Earth Sunday.
“It can mess with GPS and internet and gaming and telephone,” said Ramsden. “It’s very unusual for this to happen, but this one has the power to do that.”
Solar flares cause the northern lights, so a great show is the most likely result of this massive explosion.
“We are expecting to see northern lights further south, in New York and in Ohio. Maybe as far south as Kentucky and if you are at a high enough elevation, perhaps even in Georgia,” said Ramsden.
Agencies/Canadajournal
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