TAG :: Toronto Area Geocachers » satellite

Source: NASA

Thanks to a class X2 solar flare on Tuesday, there’s a big chance we’ll be seeing an aurora in the sky tonight – the northern lights. This is expected to reach as far south as the northern United States, and yes, even the Toronto area may have a  (slim) chance, as long as the clouds don’t get in the way. If you’re heading out with a GPS though, you might want to bring a map as this also has a strong likelihood of damaging satellites.

From the CBC News article:

John Manuel, a research scientist with the Canadian Space Agency, said the storm probably won’t cause power outages like the large flare that knocked out Hydro-Québec’s entire network in 1989. But he said it could damage satellites and suggested people who normally rely on a GPS, which uses satellites to navigate might want to bring a map as a backup.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2011/02/17/science-solar-flare-aurora.html?ref=rss#ixzz1EFw0mhYZ

[ Source: CBC News ]  [ Spaceweather.com ] [ Spaceweather Canada ]