[Huge solar flare could hit satellites]
No kidding. Can't ya count on anything anymore! Break out the signal flags! To those with Teledesic stock---I'm not trying to be alarmist? Well, we survived the week. But what's the insurance premium on those satelites gonna be?
msnbc.com
REUTER WASHINGTON - A massive solar flare that
burst off the Sun is likely to spawn a
geomagnetic storm that could affect
satellites, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration said
Wednesday.
Space Environment Center NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
THE FLARE, DETECTED as it occurred at
about 1:58 a.m. ET Tuesday, was rated as a class
X, the highest-intensity classification, the NOAA
said in a statement.
Forecasters at the government's Space
Environment Center predict that activity in
Earth's magnetic field will increase over the next
few days, with the geomagnetic storm reaching its
greatest intensity Friday.
The aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, are
likely to put on a show this week at northern
latitudes in the United States, the forecasters said.
However, power systems will probably
experience only isolated effects, while satellites
may experience surface charging, which can result
in arcing between parts of the satellite.
Very large geomagnetic storms can cause
communications problems with satellites and
interfere with high-frequency radio
communications. U.S. and European spacecraft
will detect any such storms about one hour before
they reach Earth's magnetic field.
Forecasters said this flare, which is many
times the size of Earth, ushers in a new cycle of
solar flare activity, which is likely to increase over
the next two to six years.
c 1997 Reuter Limited. All rights reserved.
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