Friday The 13th: Major Solar Flares To Send Shockwaves On Friday; Is It The End Of The World?
Friday the 13th seems to be one of the most highly anticipated and famous days in any year.
Nothing really big happens on that day, except for this year.
It has been reported that the sun has had three major solar flares on its surface that has affected communications on Earth. This occurrence has already been observed for two days already.
But, what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is concerned about is the shockwave it will send planet Earth on Friday the 13th.
According to ABC, The "solar events" has already caused brief blackouts in high frequency communications when they struck, twice on Tuesday morning and once this morning, all between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. EDT.
"Three X-class flares erupted from the left side of the sun; the first two from left occurred June 10, 2014, and the last occurred June 11, 2014."
So what exactly are solar flares?
NASA explained: "Solar flares are bursts of radiation on the sun's surface. The disturbance to Earth's atmosphere can disrupt GPS and communications signals."
One of the flares created a "coronal mass ejection" that actually could come into contact with Earth on Friday. The ejection is essentially a huge cloud of plasma that could hit the Earth and cause a shock wave, affecting communications systems.
"If an ejection were to hit Earth on Friday, scientists expect it would only cause a minor geo-magnetic storm," said the ABC article.
NASA has taken stunning photos of the solar flare and have shared them on their website.
Nothing to worry about Friday the 13th, NASA explained that although the occurrence sounds terrifying, it will only affect certain kinds of communications on Earth. It will not be the end of the world.
For more Friday the 13th news, stay tuned here!
