'Spectacular' Sun Blast Captured On Video
11:56am UK, Wednesday June 08, 2011
A spectacular explosion on the sun's surface has been captured by a Nasa space observatory - amid warnings it could disrupt satellite communications on Earth.
Known as a coronal mass ejection, the dramatic eruption was sparked by an unusual solar flare that unleashed a firestorm of radiation on a level not witnessed since 2006.
Nasa's solar dynamics observatory, which launched last year, described the event as "visually spectacular," but said its effects on Earth were expected to remain "fairly small".
"The large cloud of particles mushroomed up and fell back down looking as if it covered an area of almost half the solar surface," said a Nasa statement.
Experts said possible geomagnetic storms caused by the explosion could interfere with satellites, meaning some flights over the North Pole may need to be re-routed.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Wo...ation-Firestorm/Article/201106216007793?f=rss
