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Solar Storm Warning: Sun Shoots X-Flare Outburst at Earth
A cantankerous sunspot region erupted with a powerful X1.6-class solar flare at just the wrong time Wednesday. The blast was pointing right at us. That means any resulting outburst of electrically charged particles, known as a coronal mass ejection or CME, could have a disruptive effect.
"Initial information suggests that CME is likely associated with this event, but further analysis is underway at this time," the National Weather Service's Space Weather Prediction Center reported on its Facebook page.
Solar storms don't have a significant impact on human health, although high-altitude fliers and astronauts may get an extra dose of radiation. In a worst-case scenario, the storms can deal a blow to orbiting satellites and power grids on Earth. In a best-case scenario, they merely cause heightened auroral displays.
It generally takes a couple of days for the charged particles associated with a CME to make their way to Earth.
The sunspot region is known as AR2158, and it's been acting up over the past few days. Wednesday's flare was detected at about 1:45 p.m. ET and was strong enough to cause a wide-area blackout of high-frequency radio communication for about an hour.
X-class flares represent the most powerful kind of solar blasts (as opposed to medium M-class flares or the lower-energy A, B or C classes). Solar scientists spotted a triple-X outburst in June, but none of those blasts was directed toward Earth.
Solar Storm Warning: Sun Shoots X-Flare Outburst at Earth
A cantankerous sunspot region erupted with a powerful X1.6-class solar flare at just the wrong time Wednesday. The blast was pointing right at us. That means any resulting outburst of electrically charged particles, known as a coronal mass ejection or CME, could have a disruptive effect.
"Initial information suggests that CME is likely associated with this event, but further analysis is underway at this time," the National Weather Service's Space Weather Prediction Center reported on its Facebook page.
Solar storms don't have a significant impact on human health, although high-altitude fliers and astronauts may get an extra dose of radiation. In a worst-case scenario, the storms can deal a blow to orbiting satellites and power grids on Earth. In a best-case scenario, they merely cause heightened auroral displays.
It generally takes a couple of days for the charged particles associated with a CME to make their way to Earth.
The sunspot region is known as AR2158, and it's been acting up over the past few days. Wednesday's flare was detected at about 1:45 p.m. ET and was strong enough to cause a wide-area blackout of high-frequency radio communication for about an hour.
X-class flares represent the most powerful kind of solar blasts (as opposed to medium M-class flares or the lower-energy A, B or C classes). Solar scientists spotted a triple-X outburst in June, but none of those blasts was directed toward Earth.