Massive Solar Storm Hurtles Towards Earth

A massive solar storm is hurtling towards the Earth after the biggest eruption on the sun in six years.

The radiation storm is expected to create spectacular displays of the Northern Lights - but there are fears it could also disrupt communications, damage satellites and cause power grid outages at northern latitudes.

Sightings of aurora borealis (the Northern lights) have already been reported across the north of Britain, as far south as Northumberland, after an earlier solar flare on Sunday.

That first, moderate flare triggered the release of billions of tons of charged particles from the sun's atmosphere, now travelling towards the earth at speeds of up to 1400 miles per second, according to Nasa's Goddard Space Weather Centre.

Astronomer Dr David Whitehouse told Sky News: "A storm took place on the surface of the sun on Sunday and that sends a stream of particles towards the earth.

"When they strike the upper atmosphere at the poles, they create these shimmering lights; these red and green curtains and streamers of light that move.

"There's no other light in the night sky that's as ghostly, as mysterious and as wonderful as the aurora."

Dr Whitehouse explained how the ethereal light appears to move in the night sky.

"These particles are striking the atmosphere, rather like water from a garden hose, and as the hose moves around it's striking different parts of the atmosphere.

"It is a common sight in the north of Scotland, Scandinavia and Canada, but when there is a big storm it's possible to see them further south so it's always worth going out to have a look."

Dr Whitehouse said the storm could cause some disruption to satellites and radio communications.

"This was a big solar storm, the biggest one for years and that will affect satellites; it will cause some satellite computers to reboot, it will cause some communications difficulties in northern latitudes, but it's not big enough to cause problems to sat-nav and things like that.

"There are problems from solar storms but you need bigger ones than this to worry most people."

The biggest danger from the storm is to astronauts in space by exposing them to excessive radiation. But Nasa says the six astronauts on the International Space Station will not have to take any special protective measures.

Nasa physicist Antti Pulkkinen said a solar eruption is followed by a "one-two-three punch".

He said: "First comes electromagnetic radiation, followed by radiation in the form of protons. Then, finally the coronal mass ejection - the plasma from the Sun itself - hits.

"The plasma causes much of the noticeable problems on Earth, such as electrical grid outages.

"In 1989, a solar storm caused a massive blackout in Quebec. It can also pull the northern lights further south."

The main coronal mass ejection - or solar storm - is expected to reach the earth later.