ga...@gabegold.com
Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2017 16:17:51 -0400
The sun did its biggest burp in 12 years. On the morning of 6 September the
sun let out two pretty sizable burps of radiation. Both were considered
X-class -- the strongest type of solar flare -- with one of them proving to
be the most powerful since 2005. If a solar flare is directed at Earth,
which these ones were, it can generate a radiation storm that interferes
with radio and GPS signals. The biggest flare ever recorded, in 2003, was so
strong it even knocked out NASA's solar measurement equipment. These recent
belches weren't quite on par with that, but they were enough to jam high
frequency radios and interfere with GPS systems for about an hour on the
side of the Earth facing the sun. Put your hand over your mouth, sun! Rude!
https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/07/a-huge-solar-flare-temporarily-knocked-out-gps-communications/
Sextant, chronometer, compass, maps, oh my...