Flares disrupt communications today

BOFFINS who spend too much time staring at the sun are warning that the Earth will be battered by geomagnetic storming today.

The NOAA Space Environment Centre, told space.com that there had been a large solar flare overnight which could put power grids and radio communications at risk.

On the plus side the storm is expected to generate aurora or Northern Lights as far south as the northern United States and Scotland. But on the negative side if you are Superman, or have just strapped solar panels to the roof of your house, you might find your power levels are a bit erratic today.

The boffins know that the flare is aimed squarely at earth, but they are not sure how much damage it could do. The place not to be is the upper atmosphere which is flooded with radiation. This could be bad news for the Shuttle and the International Space Station which will probably be the hottest radioactive place in the world.

More here. µ