There's a huge coronal mass ejection headed towards Earth... right now!
AR 1520, one of the largest sunspot clusters on the Sun, just triggered a massive X1.4 class flare, directed straight at Earth. This has released an enormous coronal mass ejection; a blob of magnetically charged solar material, and it's coming our way.
The material is expected to impact the Earth 7/14 at 10:20 UT (+-7 hrs), 6:20 am EDT.
Don't panic, it's a good thing. If we're lucky, this should trigger beautiful auroras that could could be visible far away from the Earth's poles. If you've never seen an aurora, this might be a rare chance to see them.
Will you, specifically, be able to see it? I have no idea. Most auroras are seen at the Earth's poles. When it's a strong solar storm, the auroras can be seen further south, into Europe, the United States, Northern Asia.
When will it occur? Early morning in North America, but there could be aurora activity any time for the next couple of days. Just go outside, look up. If you're patient and lucky, you might see it.
What does it take to see it? Patience. You need to be willing to stand outside, facing north, watching carefully for something in the sky. Dark skies are best. Are you patient?
Is the world going to end? No, this isn't dangerous. Our Earth's magnetosphere protects us. The very worst thing that might happen is that it might fry a satellite, or overload some power circuits causing a power black out.
We've got more images, animations, and explainers here:
http://www.universetoday.com/96286/i...-toward-earth/
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