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NASA warns of powerful radioactive solar blast heading directly towards Earth

Sun Inferior Mirage green flash

NASA has warned that a massive, radioactive solar blast is heading towards Earth, screaming in for a direct hit at 900 miles per second.  The event, called a coronal mass ejection, or CME, while not occurring as frequently as solar flares, is still common.  What is not so common is for the projected particles to strike Earth directly, as is expected from today’s eruption.  Moderate effects from the blast may be felt as early as today with more severe effects possible tomorrow, including disruptions to radio transmissions and electrical power grids.

NASA’s models predict two of its space instruments, the Spitzer and MESSENGER spacecraft, will be affected by the solar blast, and the space agency has alerted mission scientists to take steps in an effort to protect the objects.

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Sun Inferior Mirage green flash via Wikimedia Commons by Brocken Inaglory with usage type - GNU Free. January 2006

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Sun Inferior Mirage green flash via Wikimedia Commons by Brocken Inaglory with usage type - GNU Free. January 2006

 

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