`Canyon of Fire’ on Sun Spits Solar Wind at Earth – LiveScience

A 12,000-mile-deep ‘canyon of fire’ has opened on the sun, spitting intense solar wind towards Earth, reports LiveScience. Filaments of plasma were ejected from a fiery canyon that opened on the surface of the Sun last Sunday, causing powerful streams of magnetised solar wind that might cause colourful auroras to be visible in the polar regions on Earth late this week. The “Canyon of Fire,” as it is known, is at least 20,000 kilometres deep and 10 times as long, according to LiveScience.

The UK Met Office weather forecaster confirmed that two “filament eruptions” occurred in the south-central part of the Sun. Ground telescopes equipped to observe warm infra-red wavelengths were also able to see the eruptions – on April 3 at about 1500 GMT and Monday at about 2100 GMT, the report said. Powerful geomagnetic storms can disrupt satellite links and damage electronics in orbit, and some can disturb power networks on the ground, as well as giving skywatchers mesmerising aurora displays.

Read the full story: LiveScience.

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Jim Pollard

Jim Pollard is an Australian journalist based in Thailand since 1999. He worked for News Ltd papers in Sydney, Perth, London and Melbourne before travelling through SE Asia in the late 90s. He was a senior editor at The Nation for 17+ years and has a family in Bangkok.