newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The Earth is currently being hit by a powerful solar storm, hitting the Earth’s magnetic field.

Scientists said there will be no ill effects, calling it a minor event.

Space.com reported that the storm came from a large solar flare on Thursday which featured a powerful eruption on the sun, sending a wave of charged solar plasma toward Earth. The solar flare was an X1.4-class sun storm, one of the strongest flares felt from the sun.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Alex Young of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland said that solar activity has about an 11-year cycle, and its peak will be in 2013 or 2014. He said it was unlikely to cause problems on Earth.

Weather officials said the solar storm could bring colorful northern lights auroras at latitudes in New York or Idaho, after 9 a.m.

According to newsday.com, severe solar storms can cause blackouts, damage satellites, disrupt GPS signals and high-frequency radio communications, and even cause airlines to reroute flights at times.

"If you're in a plane flying over the poles, there is an increased radiation exposure comparable to having an extra chest X-ray you weren't planning on," said John Bieber, of the University of Delaware's Bartol Research Institute, according to fashionstyle.com. "However, if you're an astronaut, it's a big problem. It could kill you."

The storm is expected to last through Sunday.