Solar Tsunami Heading for Earth

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An eruption occurred on the Sun (Sunday morning) which blasted tons of plasma into space and this plasma is heading directly towards our planet.

However, we are told that this will not be a life threatening experience, but could produce a "spectacular light show".

According to Leon Golub of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics "'It's the first major Earth-directed eruption in quite some time."

The eruption, which was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), is called a coronal mass ejection and is expected to arrive early on the 4th of August (UK time).

When a coronal mass ejection reaches Earth, it interacts with our planet's magnetic field, potentially creating a geomagnetic storm. Aurorae are normally only visible at high latitudes. However, during a geomagnetic storm, aurorae can be seen at much lower latitudes.

Those hoping to watch the "light show" (which may be visible even on the southern coast of England), will need to look North tonight, or tomorrow evening. Unfortunately, with the cloud cover expected over the UK today, you may have to wait until tomorrow to catch a glimpse of this unusual phenomenon.

The Sun has gone through a fairly quiet spell of late, since its last solar maximum in 2001, and many believe this inactivity might have something to do with the lower temperatures seen in the last few years (even though some claim they have increased).

This recent coronal mass ejection is probably the best indication we have had that the Sun is returning to its normal cycle, and this could see temperatures start to rise again.

Whilst eruptions of this nature can sometimes affect communications, this one is not expected to do so and we can therefore enjoy the view (weather permitting) without any worries.