Storm in Magnetic Field Interrupts Communications
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BOULDER, Colo. — One of the strongest geomagnetic storms since 1976 disrupted communications across much of the northern United States on Saturday, a spokesman at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
The disruption of the Earth’s normal magnetic field meant problems for satellites, radios and aircraft, but also meant a “northern lights” display much farther south than usual, a spokesman at NOAA’s Space Environment Services Center said.
The spokesman, Bill Brennan, said last week’s storms--the worst of which started at mid-afternoon Saturday and was expected to last 24 hours--were linked to a series of powerful solar flares.
In a geomagnetic storm, a surge of energy from the sun enters the Earth’s magnetic field and causes electrical interferences.
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