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    Solar Eruption Triggers Strongest Radiation Storm in 7 Years

    A huge eruption on the Sun has caused the strongest radiation storm since 2005, which is due to hit Earth on Tuesday, Jan 24, possibly causing widespread communications interference.

    The eruption occurred late on January 22, 2012 sending a burst of energized solar particles towards Earth at about 5 million miles an hour (2,000 km per second).

    SpaceWeather.com ranks this geomagnetic storm "strong" or S3, meaning it may expose passengers in high-flying aircraft to radiation risk, disrupt satellite operations and degrade HF radio communications.

    According to NASA, there is no risk to people on Earth, but polar flights are expected to be re-routed as a precaution measure.

    The radiation storm has one other interesting side effect - stronger than normal displays of Earth's auroras. Expect some beautiful aurora pics to pop up on the Internet in the days to come.

    Image credit: NASA

    This story originally published on Mashable here.

     

    7 comments

    • Harry Bailey  •  4 mths ago
      put all your rechargeable batteries outside.
    • antigov  •  Las Vegas, Nevada  •  4 mths ago
      Should I put my pot plants outside for this or keep them in the grow lite room?
    • jer  •  4 mths ago
      UPDATE! This solar storm has produced really silly comments on Yahoo news forum. Scientists are worried that peoples' brains will fry from reading these, beware!
    • Rock Star  •  San Francisco, California  •  4 mths ago
      I feel strangely energized today. I think I'll go jogging.
    • paco  •  Sunnyvale, California  •  4 mths ago
      AAAiiiiiiiiiiiiyeeeeeeee!!!! My brain is on fire and my eyeballs are melting!!! Al Gore, please help me understand this madness! Is all this just an inconvenient truth or is our universe going to end??????
    • 5th Element  •  4 mths ago
      I wassss wonderring whyy mmy commputter wass actting sttttrangge tttodayy.
    • safeinthewoods  •  4 mths ago
      ... 'strongest radiation storm in years' ... this statement will be repeated many, many times this year ...
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