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A giant solar flare erupted on the surface of the sun. (Courtesy NASA)
Canadians coast to coast have a good chance of seeing aurora borealis this week
 - The Weather Network&lang=en','window1','373','785','The Weather Network') "A giant solar flare erupted on the surface of the sun. (Courtesy NASA)")
A giant solar flare erupted on the surface of the sun. (Courtesy NASA)
Andrea Stockton, staff writer
February 18, 2011 — Energy from a strong solar storm could cause some disruptions with satellite communications and power grids.
February 18, 2011 — Energy from a strong solar storm could cause some disruptions with satellite communications and power grids.
 "Canadians coast to coast have a good chance of seeing aurora borealis this week")
Canadians coast to coast have a good chance of seeing aurora borealis this week
It's been dubbed as the “ Valentine's Day flare,” and according to NASA, it's the strongest solar flare since December 2006.
Astronomer Andrew Fazekas says the flare is unleashing a wave of charged particles at Earth's magnetic field, and conditions are ripe for aurora borealis to light up the northern sky.
“This is an X2-class flare on the scale that astronomers use for solar flares, and that’s considered strong, so there’s a good chance that Canada, coast to coast, could have some Auroras,” Fazekas says.
While a strong solar flare increases the chance of a spectacular light show, the electromagnetic pulse can also disrupt satellite communications, power grids and radio traffic when it passes the Earth. Scientists at NASA say a wave of radiation hit Earth immediately following the flare earlier this week, but solar flares of this magnitude could take over 24 hours to reach Earth.
The National Weather Service issued a news advisory Thursday morning (February 17), which warned of geomagnetic storm activity lasting one to two days. Sections of southern China reported outages and interference Thursday morning.
Some industries that are usually affected by solar flares include electrical power grid companies, airlines, GPS, military and ocean shipping routes. Scientists will be keeping a close eye on this solar storm right through the weekend, but there are no significant impacts expected on Earth.
“Hopefully we'll just be having a nice light show in the skies,” says Fazekas.
Depending on where you are, the weather could interfere with the rare opportunity to catch the northern lights at more southern latitudes. Be sure to check the Canadian Cities Index for a look at the conditions in your area.
With files from Alexandra Pope and Reuters
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