| New solar flare bursts from sun 04/13/2001 Associated Press WASHINGTON – Residents of northern states could be treated to the aurora borealis this weekend from another solar flare's eruption from the sun.
The latest flare burst forth on Thursday, continuing two weeks of activity on the sun, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said today.
It came from the same region on the sun that produced a pair of mass ejections Tuesday, NOAA's Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colo., reported.
"The sun rotates about 15 degrees each day, so this area should be going away in a few days,'' said NOAA's Joseph Kunches. But the region that was really active two weeks ago will be coming around again. "We're waiting for the arrival of that one.''
The scientists note that the sun is experiencing "solar max,'' a period of strong activity that happens about every 11 years and lasts for about three or four years.
These disturbances on the sun blast radiation and particles out into space, some of which can affect Earth. The planet's magnetic field channels the radiation around the Earth, funneling some of it to the poles to produce the most commonly noticed effect, the glowing auroras.
The powerful electromagnetic pulses also can affect satellites and communications and can even disrupt electrical service over long distances.
|
