Weather
Solar storm barreling toward Earth this weekend
Posted: Jul 13, 2012 12:09 PM by Natalie Noah
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A solar storm is racing toward Earth this weekend, but scientists say not to worry.
The blast of charged solar particles was due to arrive Saturday morning and shake Earth's magnetic field. Space weather forecasters say it will be a minor event and they don't expect disruptions to power grids or communications systems.
The storm began Thursday when the sun unleashed a huge flare that sent a stream of particles speeding toward Earth at 3 million mph.
There's a bright side to stormy space weather: It tends to create colorful northern lights. Scientists say shimmering colorful auroras may be visible at the United States-Canada border and northern Europe this weekend.
© 2012 The Associated Press.
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