Solar storm peaks today
JAN 24, 2012
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025831
Washington Post : A solar storm on Sunday was expected to send streams of radiation toward Earth today, which could affect satellite communications and GPS signals, as well as the electrical grid. The storm, the biggest since 2003, began with a burst of x rays shooting out of a sunspot; that event was followed by a coronal mass ejection that pushed a cloud of plasma and charged particles toward Earth. Although space weather experts were not anticipating any catastrophic effects, they alerted several groups, including satellite operators, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy. In addition to any inconveniences the storm may cause, North America could see some vivid auroras at lower latitudes.
© 2012 American Institute of Physics
