Solar flare's effect on Earth

Solar flare may cause disruptions on Earth

A "dramatic" blast on the sun unleashes a level of radiation not witnessed since 2006.  

Potential rerouting of flights 

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Today's Solar Flare

(YouTube link)

This morning, a massive solar flare was caught live by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. Though the flare is quite large (a M2.5, or medium-sized flare, in terms of energy), it isn’t expected to alter the weather here on Earth.

“I’ve never seen material released like this before, such a huge amount that falls back down in such a spectacular way,” says Goddard Spaceflight Center’s Dr. C. Alex Young. “It looks like someone just kicked a giant clod of dirt into the air and it fell back down.”

For a video with close-up footage of the flare, check out the post at PopSci.

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