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HindustanTimes Fri,25 May 2012
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Life and Universe

Massive solar storm bombards earth
ANI
London, January 24, 2012
First Published: 13:11 IST(24/1/2012)
Last Updated: 13:15 IST(24/1/2012)
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This image provided by NASA shows the Sun unleashing a medium-sized solar flare, a minor radiation storm and a spectacular coronal mass ejection.
The sun is bombarding earth with radiations from the biggest solar storm since 2005, which are heading towards our planet at 93 million miles per hour, experts say. The solar flare took place at around 11pm Eastern Time on Sunday and will hit earth with three different effects at three
different times.

The main issue is radiation, which is mostly a concern for satellite disruptions and astronauts in space. It can cause communication problems for polar-travelling aeroplanes, experts asserted.

Radiation from Sunday’s flare arrived at Earth an hour later and will most likely continue through until Wednesday, experts said.

Space weather centre physicist Doug Biesecker insisted that levels are considered strong but other storms have been harsher.

NASA''s flight surgeons and solar experts examined the solar flare’s expected effects, the Daily Mail reported.

According to Antti Pulkkinen, a physicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and Catholic University, a solar eruption is followed by a one-two-three punch.
 
First comes electromagnetic radiation, followed by radiation in the form of protons. Then, ultimately the coronal mass ejection – that is the plasma from the sun itself - hits.

Biesecker said that normally it travels at about 1 or 2 million miles per hour, but this storm is particularly speedy and is shooting out at 4 million miles per hour.


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