Geomagnetic storm fears

Zeddicuz

[br] [br][br][br]The high-speed wind is grazing Earth’s magnetic field today after escaping from a gap in the star’s northern atmosphere. Solar wind, which is actually a stream of charged particles and heat, typically takes between three and four days to reach Earth after being ejected from the Sun. And according to SpaceWeather.com, the latest high-speed particle stream has the potential to cause “geomagnetic unrest” as well as auroras around the Arctic Circle.[br][br]The latest activity comes just a day after NASA announced it had discovered a new sunspot and marks the first activity on the star’s surface for more than six months. The sunspot, dubbed AR2699, caused a series of solar flares - changes in the sun’s brightness - which were observed from Earth. Geomagnetic storms are feared for their ability to cause massive damage to satellites, power grids and communications networks.[br][br]A severe storm has the potential to wreak unprecedented havoc by knocking out phone, radio and internet systems for weeks, months or potentially even years. The largest geomagnetic storm recorded to hit earth occurred in 1859 and disrupted telegraph systems across Europe and North America.