TMCnet Feature

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reports that on Sunday, January 22, 2012, the Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a solar flare that created a spectacular eruption on the sun's surface. According to NASA, an outburst of solar radioactive elements from the sun has triggered a geomagnetic storm. NASA predicts that today, January 24, 2012, a shower of radioactive solar particles traveling about 1,400 miles a second will reach the Earth's magnetic field.

The Solar Heliospheric Observatory shows an earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME) with solar energetic particles emitted from the sun moving highly energetic particles from the eruption toward earth. The observatory reports that there has not been such a huge solar storm since 2005.

(Image from the NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Collection)

This powerful solar storm will enter the atmosphere and display an array of brightly colored lights, commonly known as the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. It is possible at low latitudes to see the colored lights and aurora displays of the solar and cosmic radiation in northern Canada, northern Europe, Nordic countries and Yorkshire in northern England.

 The disintegration of radioactive materials on earth will likely have an affect on GPS systems and other communications, says NASA. The radioactive elements could accompany changes in temperature and humidity by the solar flares. The spontaneous emission of particles that will hit Earth with radiation and/or electromagnetic radiation, exhibited by certain materials associated with radioactive decay, is not said to have any impact on people or the environment.

Get the latest news on solar storm warning by tuning in to space weather officials. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado, which is keeping a close eye on the arrival of the solar storm and the radioactive elements hitting earth, radiation will be the biggest concern. It is likely that until Wednesday it will cause satellite disruptions and communication problems for some airplanes flying in the northern Polar Regions.

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