Solar Storms Set To Hit Earth

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado reported that three solar flares erupted on the sun starting this past Tuesday, and the strongest of the resulting shockwaves (like a tsunami in space) were being felt Friday by the ACE spacecraft (a satellite that measures radiation bursts).

Tom Bogdan, director of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, said the sun is going from a quiet period into a busier cycle for solar flares and an increase in the number of such blasts is expected over the next three to five years.

Solar flares send out bursts of energy that strike the Earth's magnetic field. The most common results of these "blasts" for most of us is an upsurge in the Northern Lights which researchers said could be visible this weekend.

The magnetic blasts, can also affect electronic communications and electrical systems. A solar flare in the late 80's knocked out the electrical systems in Quebec, Canada.

(from the AP)