January 23, 2012

Giant Solar Storm Sends Particles at Earth at 4.5 Million mph

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The largest solar storm in seven years is expected to peak tomorrow, threatening GPS signals and the electrical grid.

The cloud of particles streaming from the sun is headed for the Earth at 4.5 million mph and is set to hit us at around 9:00 a.m. EST tomorrow. The faster the radiation travels, the harder it will hit as it bounces around the Earth’s magnetic field.

The geomagnetic activity depicted in the image below occurred on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 10:59 p.m. EST:

Photo credit NASA/SD

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

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