updated 1:34 PM EDT 06.13.14 Solars storms, full moon on Friday the 13th By Astead Herndon, Special to CNN SHARE THIS NASA video captures huge solar flares A A A (resize font) (CNN) - Common Western superstition says Friday the 13th is unlucky. But what does it say about a Friday the 13th with a full moon and solar flares that could create geomagnetic storms large enough to disrupt Earths atmosphere? We may find out this Friday. NASA cameras captured three major solar flares this week -- events in which the sun hurls powerful bursts of matter into the atmosphere. When large enough, these bursts send shock waves -- called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs -- throughout space. These shock waves pose no direct threat to humans, but sometimes, on days such as June 13, CMEs can be large enough to disrupt GPS, satellite communications and other atmospheric systems, according to NASA. Just our luck. A CME ... has been observed moving at a flank from Earth and a glancing blow to Earth from this event is expected on June 13, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in a statement. An outside chance of at most G1 (Minor) Geomagnetic storms remains in the forecast. Translation: Despite the ominous glancing blow language, theres no reason to be alarmed. The disruption of communication systems in the atmosphere is still unlikely, even with the impending solar storms. People in remote areas of the Northern Hemisphere may even get a light show Friday night. Some scientists believe the storms will produce brightly colored auroras visible in the night sky, although others disagree. Either way, its been awhile since weve seen such as an event. The last major CME to hit Earth came in 1859. Tony Phillips, curator of SpaceWeather, analyzed the last 17 Friday the 13ths for fun in response to a CNN request. He concluded that Fridays solar-related activity was an outlier.
Posted on: Sat, 14 Jun 2014 05:08:43 +0000
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