Solar flares — clouds of charged particles and plasma from the sun — have hit Earth, according to the National Weather Service. The solar flares have been making their way toward the planet since Sunday. The storms don’t generally cause direct physical damage to people because the Earth’s magnetic field repels much of the radiation. However, as climate scientists learned during a previous solar flare in 2002, the storms can seriously disrupt GPS signals, radio communications and the power grid.
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Solar Belch Could Stink Up Energy and Communications Networks
Posted by: Rachelle Dragani March 8, 2012 10:49 AMSolar flares — clouds of charged particles and plasma from the sun — have hit Earth, according to the National Weather Service. The solar flares have been making their way toward the planet since Sunday. The storms don’t generally cause direct physical damage to people because the Earth’s magnetic field repels much of the radiation. However, as climate scientists learned during a previous solar flare in 2002, the storms can seriously disrupt GPS signals, radio communications and the power grid.