Powerful Solar Flare May Charge Up Northern Lights Thursday

[TheDan]

Powerful Solar Flare May Charge Up Northern Lights Thursdayys | NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory | Skywatching, Space Weather & Solar Storms | Space.com

Extremely powerful solar storms can pose a hazard to satellites and spacecraft in orbit, as well as power grids and other infrastructure on Earth. Tuesday's powerful solar eruption, however, was not aimed squarely at Earth.

"The eruption took place well off-center, which means that the lion's share of the electrified particles shot into space will probably miss Earth," explained SPACE.com's skywatching columnist Joe Rao. "But nonetheless, this M-2 flare still appears potent enough, to send enough subatomic material our way to interact to some degree with our magnetic poles, though I think the main show will be for places at high latitudes."

Good thing this wasn't pointed at us. I suspect we'll see a few more of these over the next couple years while the sun goes through solar maximum.

 

[Bobk]

The Northern Lights are amazing. I saw them while up in Alaska years ago.

 

[TrailDust]

Good thing this wasn't pointed at us. I suspect we'll see a few more of these over the next couple years while the sun goes through solar maximum.

I was kind of hoping it might spur the zombie apocalypse to finally happen, but apparently I'll have to wait a while longer....


I've seen the aurora while on a few polar flights, and DAMN they're beautiful!!!