A few active sunspots may aim some potentially menacing space weather at Earth in the next four or five days, astronomers predicted Thursday.
If they are right, the solar event could disrupt power grids, cellular telephone transmissions and the electronics inside satellites orbiting Earth.
On the positive side, the event could bring a beautiful display of auroras to vigilant skywatchers, depending on the energy output of the flares.
All this comes as no huge surprise to astronomers who have long anticipated solar flareups this year as the sun approaches its 11-year "
Because this hotspot, called active region 8882, is now coming into alignment with Earth's magnetic field (an orientation known as the "footpoint"), an outburst could yield a flow of energetic protons that might reach Earth an hour or two later. That burst would cause the geomagnetic storms and their luminous counterparts -- auroras.
Actually, electrical disruptions and auroras could occur at almost any time these days, given that the solar maximum could last through early 2001.
As for the next few days, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colorado, issued a conservative solar activity forecast for Thursday, saying that "solar activity is expected to remain low to moderate with a small chance of more energetic X-ray events."
The activity will come primarily from a solar region identified as 8882 as well as another active complex called 8892. The SEC expects the geomagnetic field to remain unsettled to active over the next few days. They also predict a good chance for a minor radio blackout until March 7 while these active regions are oriented toward Earth.
Region 8882 and still another active region 8891, which may also produce solar flares, are both visible to the naked eye when viewed through the proper solar filters.
Observers without solar filters may view these regions by projecting the sun's image onto a white card through a small telescope using low magnification. Be sure, however, not to look directly at the sun through the telescope or with your eyes without proper filter protection. Blindness will be the instantaneous result.
Also, do not allow your un-filtered telescope to remain pointed at the sun for too long a time. The intense heat can damage the optics.
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