Two solar flares shoot plasma toward Earth
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028250
Los Angeles Times : On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, a pair of solar flares sent coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—highly energetic waves of plasma—toward Earth. The CMEs will hit Earth today and tomorrow, with the most visible effect being an increase in aurora activity. Some communications and GPS satellites may also be affected, not by the radiation itself but by the effect the radiation has on Earth’s upper atmosphere, which will make it more difficult for signals to pass from the satellites to the planet. For people using GPS for general navigation purposes, the disruption won’t be noticeable. Only those who need extreme precision in their measurements will be aware of the flare activity.
