One of the most powerful solar flares ever recorded erupted this morningnear giant sunspot 486.

Space Weather News for Oct. 28, 2003
http://spaceweather.com

One of the most powerful solar flares ever recorded erupted this morning
near giant sunspot 486. The explosion hurled a coronal mass ejection
(CME) directly toward Earth. Bright auroras could appear when the
fast-moving cloud sweeps past our planet--perhaps as early as tonight.
High-latitude sites such as New Zealand, Scandinavia, Alaska, Canada and
US northern border states from Maine to Washington are favored, as usual,
but auroras could descend to lower latitudes, too.

Not all CMEs trigger auroras. Several, for instance, have swept past
Earth in recent days without causing widespread displays. It all depends
on the orientation of tangled magnetic fields within the electrified cloud
of gas. This CME is no exception. It might cause auroras, or it might
not. We will find out when it arrives.

Stay tuned to Spaceweather.com for updates.

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