Cleveland – Citizens of Ohio will be
given a rare treat: a chance to see the Northern Lights this weekend.
Normally not seen in the continental United States, the massive
display may be seen as far as Atlanta.
AnttiPuikkinen said “The sun is on an 11-year solar cycle of minimums
and maximums. It should reach a peak in the middle of 2013 or so.
Because of this, solar activity over the past year or two is much
more. The stronger the eruption, the stronger the interaction with
the earth, the more southern the auroras will be seen." Earlier
this week Spaceweather.com reported one of the biggest sunspots seen
in years. It's estimated to be 40,000 kilometers and 80,000
kilometers in length.
Although the solar flares are going to
be big, Puikkinen says she doubts anything like what happened in
Quebec in 1989 will happen this time. Then, an eruption resulted in
an electrical blackout. Other than “some possible radio and power
grid issues.”
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