'Space hurricane' from the sun sweeping over our planet

Flights rerouted due to solar storm; radiation rated strongest since 2003

A wave of charged particles from an intense solar storm is raising alerts about airline flights and satellite operations — and raising the prospect of stunning auroral displays.

The storm began when a powerful solar flare erupted on the sun Monday, blasting a stream of charged particles toward our planet. This electromagnetic burst — called a coronal mass ejection, or CME — started hitting Earth somewhere around 10 a.m. ET Tuesday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.

MORE: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46118390/ns/today-today_tech/t/space-hurricane-sun-sweeping-over-our-planet/#.Tx9Te_lmbt8

gaw

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