Solar Flares Expected to Disrupt GPS...this weekend -
Energy released from solar plasma blasts will reach Earth throughout Friday and Saturday, potentially disrupting communications and electrical grids, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The explosion on the sun’s surface could affect precision satellite systems such as GPS and high-frequency radio waves, which airlines use for communication.
“High-precision GPS navigation systems may not work as well today,” said Joseph Kunches, a space scientist for the NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
Friday’s explosion is second of three recent blasts on the sun’s surface directed toward the Earth. The experts said the current wave could go on until Saturday night at the latest.
“You can think of them as sort of tsunamis in space,” said SWPC Director Tom Bogdan. “The first one was fairly weak, and we’re now seeing the next one coming in.”
However, Bogdan said these effects will be more potent throughout the next few years, adding that Friday’s storm is a “two or three out of five” in terms of its potential impact. This kind of activity will increase in frequency, he said, peaking sometime around 2013.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/60756.html#ixzz1UC6ladfG
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