X-Class solar flare: Nov. 19
Wednesday, November 20, 2013 - 08:30
in Astronomy & Space
Adding on to a series of solar flares throughout October and November, the sun emitted another significant solar flare on Nov. 19, 2013, peaking at 5:26 a.m. EST. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however—when intense enough—they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.