Solar Flare Could Disrupt Cell Phones and Satellites
Scientists say particles from a solar flare will rain down on Earth and possibly cause problems. NASA caught incredible images of the sun as it released a medium-sized solar flare and a spectacular coronal mass ejection. It appeared to cover at least half of the sun with its plasma cloud.
Now it is speeding toward Earth and could disrupt communication satellites and power grids. While the possibility of solar flares always comes with the warning, few think this particular plasma burst will do much to us on Earth this weekend.
Because the flare shot out of the sun away from Earth, we will be spared the brunt of its impact. But the giant super-heated gas cloud is speeding away from the sun at about 3 million miles per hour. So scientists aren’t ruling out the possibility of some disruptions, especially to satellites.
This means that cell phones and GPS units may not operate as they are supposed to so why not unplug this weekend and wait for the solar storm to pass.
The sun goes through 11-year cycles of activity. It is just emerging from an unprecedented quiet period and appears to be exploding into the active phase of the cycle. The first major solar flare since 2006 appeared in February, followed by another big one in April.
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