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- Space news
- Feb 15:
- Asteroid will buzz, miss Earth—unlike meteor
- Jan 15:
- Curiosity tendrá mucho trabajo en Marte en 2013
- Dec 4:
- Curiosity no halla moléculas de carbón en Marte
- Sep 26:
- The FAA approves $200,000 grant for Spaceport Colorado
- Sep 5:
- 35 years later, Voyager 1 is heading for the stars
- Aug 8:
- Mars crater where rover landed looks 'Earth-like'
- Aug 6:
- Sonda de la NASA se posa suavemente en cráter colosal de Marte
- Jun 4:
- Venus' crossing of sun to be visible in Denver area Tuesday
- Venus' crossing of sun to be visible in Denver area Tuesday
- May 31:
- NASA: Nuestra galaxia chocará de frente con la de Andrómeda
BOULDER — A pair of massive solar flares that erupted from the sun's surface Tuesday at about 5 p.m. Colorado time are expected to slam into the Earth early Thursday morning, possibly affecting communications and power, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder.
The two X-class flares erupted within about an hour of each other, and they're now screaming toward Earth at speeds of at least 1,100 miles per second, according to NASA. When the flares arrive, they're expected to further agitate Earth's magnetic field, which is already being affected by a solar flare that occurred Sunday.
"Things are already disturbed, and we're going to pound on them some more with another shot from the sun," said Joe Kunches, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, where the Space Weather Prediction Center is housed.
The resulting geomagnetic storm has the potential to disrupt high frequency radio communications, global positioning systems and power grids.
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