NASA / LMSAL via SpaceWeather. com
This color-coded image combines observations made by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in several extreme ultraviolet wavelengths, highlighting a bright X-class flare toward the upper right of the sun's disk on March 6.
By Alan Boyle
The sun unleashed one of the biggest flares ever seen during its current activity cycle late Tuesday ? an X5.4-class outburst strong enough to trigger a radio blackout. This extreme-ultraviolet image of the sun's disk, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, shows the flare shining like a bright flame.
SpaceWeather.com reports that the eruption, recorded at 7:28 p.m. ET, hurled a coronal mass ejection into space.?Is the storm of electrically charged particles heading toward us? "Our best guess is 'probably yes, but not directly toward Earth,'" SpaceWeather.com's Tony Phillips writes. A glancing blow could spark heightened auroras on March 8 or 9.
A direct hit might have the potential for disrupting satellite links or electrical grids, but network operators have had enough experience with these geomagnetic storms to take precautions. The same sunspot region responsible for Tuesday's blast has been acting up over the past few days, and observers in northern regions are seeing some great auroral shows. Phillips is already adding new stunners to SpaceWeather's gallery.
Stay tuned for updates as the experts, including forecasters at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, get a better fix on where the coronal mass ejection is heading.
The active region 1429 unleashed this powerful X5.4-class solar flare at 7:28 p.m. ET March 6. X-class flares are the strongest class of flares. (Credit: NASA SDO)
More about solar storms and auroras:
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.
Source: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/07/10596987-sun-blasts-out-an-x-treme-flare
nbc news asexual jim carrey san francisco chronicle kourtney kardashian pregnant kourtney kardashian pregnant steven tyler
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন