IPFS News Link • Solar Flares

Sun Sends Solar Flares Speeding Toward Earth; Will Hit Thursday [VIDEO]

03-08-2012 • by Bill Chappell

The sun ejected two huge solar flares Tuesday, and NASA says that we here on Earth may notice the effects of magnetic fields and ionized gases that it estimates will arrive around 1:25 a.m. ET Thursday. So, if you detect some electronic interference — say, your GPS doesn't work right — blame it on the sun.

In NASA's video of the mass ejections of solar matter, they look powerful, even angry — like massive solar blisters. As NASA says, "One of the most dramatic features is the way the entire surface of the sun seems to ripple with the force of the eruption."

The flares took place about an hour apart. And when they hit Earth, the waves of magnetic fields may disrupt power grids, as well as radio-based communications.

But the phenomenon might also bring auroras to the skies above residents of the northern United States, according to an interview with NASA solar physicist Alex Young, over at The Los Angeles Times.