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“Coronal Mass Ejection is headed towards Earth”

While we wait for something approaching real news on the Greek PSI discussions, here’s a decidedly non-financial graphic (click to enlarge)…

Rather than try and explain that we’ll skip to this warning from the Space Weather Prediction Center, part of America’s National Weather Service:

The strongest Solar Radiation Storm since September, 2005 is in progress and continues to get stronger and a very fast Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is headed towards Earth. Geomagnetic storming is a near certainty from this event, but pending preliminary analysis, no estimates are available yet for timing or strength of the storm. The associated solar flare peaked at the R2 (Moderate) level on January 23 at 0400 GMT (11pm Jan 22 EST). Radiation storms are a concern for astronauts, for communications at high latitudes, for satellites in space and for many rockets being launched…

The model guidance is back and it shows the coronal mass ejection arriving Tuesday at 9am EST (1400 GMT). The ‘bump’ on Jan 24 in the green traces is the coronal mass ejection arriving at Earth. The radiation storm is continuing. A correction is needed on the previous post, it is the strongest storm since December, 2006.

So you’ve been warned: no launching of rockets tomorrow, certainly not after lunch, London-time.

You can follow the action on this live chart feed from Boulder Colorado:

Apparently, while the red line remains above the central dotted line, we’re in alert territory.

Related links:
Space Weather Prediction Center – on Facebook

 

 

 

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