NOAA Issues Another Space Weather Warning; Powerful Solar Flare Erupts

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2502.htm

NOAA ISSUES ANOTHER SPACE WEATHER WARNING; POWERFUL SOLAR FLARE ERUPTS
September 9, 2005

Forecasters at the NOAA Space Environment Center in
Boulder, Colo., continue to observe significant flares on the sun
Friday
in NOAA sunspot Region 808. This is the same region that yielded a
powerful X-17 flare on Wednesday?R4, severe radio blackout, on
the NOAA space weather scales. NOAA
cautions satellite and communications groups are already experiencing
problems due to this activity. Other agencies impacted by space weather
are at increasing risk for service disruptions. This includes other
space activities, electric power systems, high frequency communications
and navigation systems such as global positioning systems. (Click NOAA
image for larger view of the sun from the NOAA Solar X-ray Imager
aboard
the NOAA GOES-12 satellite taken Sept. 9, 2005, at 4:58 p.m. EDT. Click
here http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/video/solar-flare-09-09-2005.mpg for

mpeg animation. Click here http://sxi.ngdc.noaa.gov/ to view latest
images.
Please credit "NOAA.")

The active Region 808 is currently located near the southeast limb of
the sun's surface. This region is a large and very complex sunspot
cluster, which represents an intense magnetic area of the sun. "Early
indications are that these sun clusters are nearly nine times the size
of Earth," said Bill Murtagh, solar forecaster at the NOAA Space
Environment Center. Murtagh added, "Typically, the larger the size and
complexity of sun clusters, the more potential there is for producing
significant solar storms."

"We are expecting continued significant solar flares from this region
as
it makes its passage across the visible part of the sun over the next
11
days," said Murtagh. "Strong to severe radiation storms are possible as
well as significant geomagnetic storms, which can cause significant
problems to technology in space, as well as electrical power systems on
Earth. It is these geomagnetic storms that create auroras, dramatic
visual displays in the sky.

"As always, NOAA's Space Environment Center and our partners are
monitoring the situation," said Murtagh. Data used to provide space
weather services are provided by NOAA, U.S. Air Force, NASA, National
Science Foundation, U.S. Geological Survey, the International Space
Environment Services and other observatories, universities and
institutions.

The NOAA Space Environment Center, one of the NOAA National Centers for
Environmental Prediction, is home to the
nation's early warning system for solar activities that directly affect
people and equipment on Earth and in space. SEC's 24 hour-a-day, 7
days-a-week operations are critical in protecting space and
ground-based
assets. Through the SEC, NOAA and the U.S. Air Force jointly operate
the
space weather operations center that continuously monitors, analyzes
and
forecasts the environment between the sun and Earth. In addition to the
data gathered from NOAA and NASA satellites, the center receives
real-time solar and geophysical information from ground-based
observatories around the world. NOAA space weather forecasters use the
data to predict solar and geomagnetic activity and issue worldwide
alerts of extreme events.

NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
is dedicated to enhancing economic security
and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and
climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the
nation's coastal and marine resources.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Space Environment Center http://www.sec.noaa.gov

NOAA Space Weather Scales http://www.sec.noaa.gov/NOAAscales/

NOAA Solar X-ray Imager http://sxi.ngdc.noaa.gov/

Media Contact:
Carmeyia Gillis , NOAA Space
Environment Center http://www.sec.noaa.gov, (301) 763-8000 ext. 7163