INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
An unusually strong solar storm hitting Earth could produce northern lights in the U.S
this weekend and potentially disrupt power and communications.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare severe
geomagnetic storm warning when a solar outburst reached Earth on Friday afternoon, hours sooner than anticipated
The effects were due to last through the weekend and possibly into next week.NOAA alerted operators of power plants and spacecraft in orbit
as Alabama and Northern California, according to NOAA
But it was hard to predict and experts stressed it would not be the dramatic curtains of color normally associated with the northern lights,
He and his colleagues said the best aurora views may come from phone cameras, which are better at capturing light than the naked eye.Snap a
center.The most intense solar storm in recorded history, in 1859, prompted auroras in central America and possibly even Hawaii
Satellites also could be affected, which in turn could disrupt navigation and communication services here on Earth.An extreme geomagnetic
storm in 2003, for example, took out power in Sweden and damaged power transformers in South Africa.Even when the storm is over, signals
between GPS satellites and ground receivers could be scrambled or lost, according to NOAA
But there are so many navigation satellites that any outages should not last long, Steenburgh noted.The sun has produced strong solar flares
since Wednesday, resulting in at least seven outbursts of plasma
serious threat to the seven astronauts aboard the International Space Station
The biggest concern is the increased radiation levels, and the crew could move to a better shielded part of the station if necessary,
