When The Sun Unleashed Its Plasma Blast This Week, Earth Got Lucky -- Popular Science
What a predicted 2013 blast from the sun could mean for the U.S.
On Tuesday, the biggest solar flare in four years erupted from the sun, sending a mass of charged particles hurtling towards Earth. NASA announced that it was an M-2 (medium-sized) flare and an S1-class (minor) radiation storm. The electromagnetic pulse it induced created amazing auroras, but it could also damage satellites and radio communications. What would happen with an even stronger, larger flare? Something terrible...
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