The sky might get colorful tonight:
The solar flare occurred at about 11:30 am EST (1600 GMT) and touched off a massive solar explosion — known as a coronal mass ejection — aimed at Earth, space weather experts and officials said. The charged particles from the sun explosion should reach Earth by Saturday night (Jan. 21), and could amp up northern lights displays when they hit the upper atmosphere.
Don’t forget to pick up an extra roll of film at the Five and Dime. Look for ASA 400, no flash bulbs needed.
Kodak Reorganizing
Vintage footage in this report on Kodak’s financial problems.
Don’t get burned. from USA Today:
Space weather officials said the strongest solar storm in more than six years is bombarding Earth with radiation.
The radiation is mostly an issue for satellite disruptions and astronauts in space. It can cause communication problems for polar-traveling airplanes.
The Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado observed the flare Sunday at 11 p.m. EST. Physicist Doug Biesecker (BEE-secker) said the biggest concern is the radiation, which arrived on Earth an hour later. It will likely continue through Wednesday.
Biesecker said the storm’s radiation levels are considered strong but other storms have been more severe. It is the strongest level since May 2005.
Plasma ejected from the sun arrives Tuesday, but is not as strong. It can extend the visibility of auroras and disrupt the electrical grid.