NASA’s SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory) recently detected a large solar flare and smaller corona mass ejection (CME), the largest in four years. The sun is only just beginning to leave its lowest sunspot activity period (an 11 year cycle) and enter a more vigorous period where there are likely to be many more flares and CMEs.
The peak flare activity is predicted for 2013, when possible flares and CMEs could cause GPS, communications and power utility black-outs as the satellites are hit by radiation and charged particles, the aurora borealis would also be spectacularly charged up.
This latest X-ray radiation and mass ejection occurred at 3:48 a.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, 9th August 2011, and the flare was estimated to be magnitude X6.9 (X is the largest class) with a smaller CME. Luckily the ejection was not in Earth’s direction and only minimal satellite communications disruption occurred.
Via Space Daily
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