NuTs62
04-23-2002, 12:57 AM
April 22, 2002 Posted: 5:04 PM EDT (2104 GMT)
http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2002/TECH/space/04/22/solar.flare/story.flare.jpg
By Kate Tobin
CNN Sci-Tech Unit
(CNN) -- An explosion from the sun could soon trigger bright displays of the Northern and Southern Lights, according to solar scientists.
A powerful Coronal Mass Ejection or CME released a salvo of charged gases over the weekend, which could buffet the Earth's magnetic field on Monday or Tuesday, solar scientists predicted.
The high-energy solar winds produced by a CME can generate geomagnetic storms when they hit Earth, temporarily altering the planet's magnetic field and creating colorful sky displays known as auroras or the Northern and Southern Lights.
Instruments onboard the Solar and Heliographic Observatory (SOHO), a joint NASA-European Space Agency satellite, captured images of the solar flare that sparked the CME.
Experts say a CME of this size and strength will probably trigger unusually strong displays of the aurora lights in Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. There is a good chance, presuming clear weather, that the nighttime fireworks will be visible in much lower latitudes.
As the CME is not headed directly toward Earth, it is unlikely that the glancing blow will be strong enough to interrupt satellite communications or disrupt power grids on Earth.
Researchers classify solar flares using three categories: C is weak, M is moderate and X is strong. Sunday's salvo is classified as an X-1 flare. The strongest one in recent memory was an X-6 event that occurred July 14, 2000.
Linkage (http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/04/22/solar.flare/index.html)
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riiight.. its probably some government conspiracy of some aliens coming.. and thats whats gonna cause the nighttime fireworks.. :)
http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2002/TECH/space/04/22/solar.flare/story.flare.jpg
By Kate Tobin
CNN Sci-Tech Unit
(CNN) -- An explosion from the sun could soon trigger bright displays of the Northern and Southern Lights, according to solar scientists.
A powerful Coronal Mass Ejection or CME released a salvo of charged gases over the weekend, which could buffet the Earth's magnetic field on Monday or Tuesday, solar scientists predicted.
The high-energy solar winds produced by a CME can generate geomagnetic storms when they hit Earth, temporarily altering the planet's magnetic field and creating colorful sky displays known as auroras or the Northern and Southern Lights.
Instruments onboard the Solar and Heliographic Observatory (SOHO), a joint NASA-European Space Agency satellite, captured images of the solar flare that sparked the CME.
Experts say a CME of this size and strength will probably trigger unusually strong displays of the aurora lights in Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. There is a good chance, presuming clear weather, that the nighttime fireworks will be visible in much lower latitudes.
As the CME is not headed directly toward Earth, it is unlikely that the glancing blow will be strong enough to interrupt satellite communications or disrupt power grids on Earth.
Researchers classify solar flares using three categories: C is weak, M is moderate and X is strong. Sunday's salvo is classified as an X-1 flare. The strongest one in recent memory was an X-6 event that occurred July 14, 2000.
Linkage (http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/04/22/solar.flare/index.html)
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riiight.. its probably some government conspiracy of some aliens coming.. and thats whats gonna cause the nighttime fireworks.. :)