Northern Lights likely to be extra bright as solar storm reaches Earth

[unhappycamper]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/11/northern-lights-likely-to-be-extra-bright-as-solar-storm-reaches-earth/



Northern Lights likely to be extra bright as solar storm reaches Earth
By Agence France-Presse
Thursday, September 11, 2014 20:55 EDT

Washington (AFP) – Two big explosions on the surface of the sun will cause a moderate to strong geomagnetic storm on Earth in the coming days, possibly disrupting radio and satellite communications, scientists said Thursday.

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The storm began with a minor solar flare on Monday, followed by a major X-class flare — the strongest classification — on Wednesday at around 1745 GMT.

Both eruptions came from the same sunspot near the center of the solar disk, and both produced significant coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, of magnetized plasma headed toward Earth.

On a scale of one to five, the resulting geomagnetic storm should be “moderate to strong,” rating a G2 or G3, Berger said.