Largest solar storm in 8 years bombarding Earth

Canada, northern U.S. may get 'amazing' aurora borealis

Canada and parts of the northern United States may be in for a spectacular light show courtesy of the the sun's bombardment of Earth with radiation from the biggest solar storm in more than eight years.

The radiation from the fast-moving eruption will likely continue through Wednesday.

"The aurora borealis will be "a pretty amazing sight" Tuesday night, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research scientist Juan Rodriguez told the Los Angeles Times.

This is now the largest solar radiation storm since October 2003 (The Halloween Storms).

Earlier, scientists stated it was the largest since May 2005 but that changed after further measurements, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Centre in Colorado said.

The solar flare occurred at about 11 p.m. ET Sunday and will hit Earth with three different effects at three different times. The biggest issue is radiation, according to the NOAA.

The radiation is mostly a concern for satellite disruptions and astronauts in space. It can cause communication problems for polar-travelling airplanes, said space weather centre physicist Doug Biesecker.

Radiation from Sunday's flare arrived at Earth an hour later. Levels are considered strong but other storms have been more severe. There are two higher levels of radiation on NOAA's storm scale — severe and extreme — Biesecker said. Still, this storm is the strongest for radiation since May 2005.

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