Hum Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 The Sun has unleashed its most powerful eruption of 2013 so far. The solar flare - a sudden release of radiation - peaked at 1705 BST on Monday, and was associated with a huge eruption of matter. When these eruptions reach Earth, they can interfere with electronic systems in satellites and those on the ground. Nasa said this solar explosion - known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) - was not directed at Earth, but it could pass several US spacecraft. The event on Monday was classified as an "X-class" flare - the most intense type - with a designation of X2.8 (higher numbers denote a stronger flare). It surpassed an X1.7-class flare that occurred 14 hours earlier. They are the first X-class events to occur this year. When intense enough, a flare can disturb the Earth's atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisp Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Some amazing shots... http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/748369main_SDO_May_13_XFlare_131-171_4k.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted May 15, 2013 Author Share Posted May 15, 2013 Maybe this will warm up Earth a bit -- Spring is AWOL here in PA. :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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