Increase in Solar Activity Could Spell Trouble here on Earth

The San Jose Mercury is reporting that the sun has moved into an active cycle in which  solar ejections of charged particles capable of reaching Earth will increase the chances of communications disruptions.

Referring to the increased solar activity, Ben Burress, an astronomer with the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland said, "We're seeing so much more now, compared with the last few years, and when you have them happening five times a day, there's a greater chance of one actually hitting us."

Joseph Kunches, a space scientist at the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado describes the solar ejections as a "...cloud of plasma  thrown off the sun like a bowling ball, and sometimes we're at the other end of the bowling alley..."

The San Jose  Mercury  article gives a laundry list of  past disruptions caused due to these solar  Coronal Mass Ejections.  From electrical power grids going down, to air flight diversions, these solar storms can wreak havoc here on Earth.

Oh yeah, they can also effect radio propagation and increase noise on the hf amateur radio bands. 

Click Here to read the full Mercury Article.