1 of largest solar flare in years

[SagiCap]

Our Sun has just experienced one of the largest solar flares in years ...

From http://spaceweather.com/

SPECTACULAR EXPLOSION

Magnetic fields on the sun's northeastern limb erupted
around 17:45 UT on April 16th, producing one of
the most visually spectacular explosions in years.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recorded
the blast at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths.

The explosion, which registered M1.7 on the Richter Scale
of solar flares, was not Earth-directed, but it did hurl a CME
into space. Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab
have analyzed the trajectory of the cloud and found that it
will hit NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft, the Spitzer space
telescope, and the rover Curiosity en route to Mars.
Planets Venus and Mars could also receive a glancing blow.

[Bina]

Wow!! - thanks for the info!
I wonder if we'll feel this after a few days, even though it is headed in a different direction?
There seem to be more solar flares this year then during past years, it was unusually hot in some parts of the world just after some fairly powerful solar flares last month..

[SniperBomber328]

Doesn't science tell us that the Sun is due for an ultra-flare along with ultra sunspots already? I read an article where people speculate this will happen on December 21, 2012. Of course I am not a person that believes in that kinf of stuff, but just stating this for anyone who wants to know.

[!4C]

This solar cycle is very weak compared to previous ones.

http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/predict.shtml

Solar cycles have been correlated to business activity. The earth is heated more when the cycle is up which, in theory, makes life on earth more active. The exceptions have been war time spending and credit bubbles that create demand independent of natural cycles.

Given the current debt crisis in the developed world, I have to wonder what will happen to the world economy after the 2013 peak. We should have reserved the easy credit cycle for when we really needed it.