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Despite the potential for causing an assortment of headaches, a large solar flare that erupted earlier this week is causing no problems locally.
The solar flare, reportedly the largest of its type since December 2006, occurred Monday, according to scientists. When the particles unleashed by a solar flare interact with the Earth’s magnetic field they have the potential to cause problems in electronics, power and communications. According to one wire service report, radio communication in China was disrupted.
In Northeast Missouri, no communication problems have been experienced at Marion County 911, according to Mike Hall, director of the agency.
“At this point it looks like this event is going to have no effect on emergency public service bands, the primary systems we have here. Ham radio folks that like to use high frequency bandwidth, they may have some challenges with propagation and whatnot. But from where I sit the impact appears to be really limited if noticeable at all, which is good,” he said.
No communication issues have been reported at Hannibal Regional Airport.
“No one has complained about anything and we’ve had a lot of traffic the last two days,” said Robin Carroll, fixed base operator at the airport.
Solar flares trigger geomagnetic storms in the planet’s magnetic field that can disrupt satellites and power grids. In 1973, a magnetic storm from a solar flare caused 6 million people to lose electricity in Canada.
Steve Huse, owner of Huse Communications, says that while it is not uncommon for the sun to cause brief service outages for satellite TV subscribers during the spring and fall equinoxes, the latest solar eruption has not caused any problems.
“I don’t think the one that just happened caused any type of outages. I sure didn’t get any calls concerning that,” he said.
At the Hannibal Board of Public Works, Heath Hall, director of operations, reports there have been no power disruptions related to this week’s solar flare.
This week’s solar storm rates an R-3 on a five-point scale, according to Bob Rutledge, lead forecaster for the government’s Space Weather Prediction Center. It’s on the weak end of what’s considered strong, but still there are about 175 of those every decade or so.
Solar flares can cause colorful auroras to be visible in the nighttime sky in regions where they are not commonly seen. If visible locally it would appear as a reddish glow.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
Despite the potential for causing an assortment of headaches, a large solar flare that erupted earlier this week is causing no problems locally.
The solar flare, reportedly the largest of its type since December 2006, occurred Monday, according to scientists. When the particles unleashed by a solar flare interact with the Earth’s magnetic field they have the potential to cause problems in electronics, power and communications. According to one wire service report, radio communication in China was disrupted.
In Northeast Missouri, no communication problems have been experienced at Marion County 911, according to Mike Hall, director of the agency.
“At this point it looks like this event is going to have no effect on emergency public service bands, the primary systems we have here. Ham radio folks that like to use high frequency bandwidth, they may have some challenges with propagation and whatnot. But from where I sit the impact appears to be really limited if noticeable at all, which is good,” he said.
No communication issues have been reported at Hannibal Regional Airport.
“No one has complained about anything and we’ve had a lot of traffic the last two days,” said Robin Carroll, fixed base operator at the airport.
Solar flares trigger geomagnetic storms in the planet’s magnetic field that can disrupt satellites and power grids. In 1973, a magnetic storm from a solar flare caused 6 million people to lose electricity in Canada.
Steve Huse, owner of Huse Communications, says that while it is not uncommon for the sun to cause brief service outages for satellite TV subscribers during the spring and fall equinoxes, the latest solar eruption has not caused any problems.
“I don’t think the one that just happened caused any type of outages. I sure didn’t get any calls concerning that,” he said.
At the Hannibal Board of Public Works, Heath Hall, director of operations, reports there have been no power disruptions related to this week’s solar flare.
This week’s solar storm rates an R-3 on a five-point scale, according to Bob Rutledge, lead forecaster for the government’s Space Weather Prediction Center. It’s on the weak end of what’s considered strong, but still there are about 175 of those every decade or so.
Solar flares can cause colorful auroras to be visible in the nighttime sky in regions where they are not commonly seen. If visible locally it would appear as a reddish glow.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
