Fireworks displays that have nothing to do with the anniversary of US independence, but rather have to do with everything to do with the universe ready to adorn the skies on the north side of the US and Europe to coincide with Halloween. On Thursday (28/10), the sun threw out what it called a “class X solar flare” strong enough to trigger a blackout of high-frequency radio waves in parts of South America. The energy from the flare is followed by a cluster of solar plasma and other material called a coronal mass ejection (CME). All of that headed for planet Earth, triggering the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to issue a warning about a potentially powerful geomagnetic storm. The phenomenon may sound like a science fiction film, but it actually means much of the northern US will be treated to a light show called the aurora borealis aka Northern Lights this weekend. A geomagnetic hurricane of any magnitude could produce visible light displays at latitudes as low as Pennsylvania, Oregon and Iowa. The phenomenon can also cause voltage irregularities in high-latitude power lines due to loss of radio contact on the sunlit side of the planet. [rdft]
–
