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G_j

(40,366 posts)
Thu Jun 12, 2014, 09:46 PM Jun 2014

Solar Flares May Send 'Shockwave' To Earth On Friday The 13th

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/12/solar-flares-shock-wave-june-friday-the-13th_n_5488714.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

Solar Flares May Send 'Shockwave' To Earth On Friday The 13th
The Huffington Post | By Sara Gates

A full moon isn't the only celestial phenomenon on tap for this Friday the 13th.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned Wednesday that solar flares could send a "shockwave" to Earth on June 13 and briefly disrupt communications.

Three powerful, X-class solar flares erupted from the sun this week. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory data indicate that an X2.2 flare and an X1.5 flare occurred on June 10, followed by an X1.0 flare on June 11. (X1 through X10 is the designation for the strongest class of solar flares, with X1 being the weakest in the group.)

Solar flares sometimes produce waves of plasma and charged particles, called coronal mass ejections, that take up to three days to reach Earth. Based on the strength of the new solar flares, which caused scattered communication blackouts on Tuesday and Wednesday, researchers say that a shockwave could hit Earth on Friday. The wave may spark a minor geomagnetic storm and further disrupt communications.

"[A] glancing blow to Earth from this event is expected on June 13 but only an outside chance of at most G1 (minor) geomagnetic storming is forecast," according to NOAA.

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"It's back," Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement this week. "Solar Max has arrived."

(Story continues below.)

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Solar Flares May Send 'Shockwave' To Earth On Friday The 13th (Original Post) G_j Jun 2014 OP
Should I postpone my travel on Saturday the 14th? 1StrongBlackMan Jun 2014 #1
Beware.....Saturday the 14th! LongTomH Jun 2014 #3
Thanks for posting. truebluegreen Jun 2014 #2
not sure G_j Jun 2014 #4
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