Sat 22 Jan 2005
By Karen Attwood, PA

Massive amounts of radiation being spewed from the sun could cause
disruptions to satellite communications in the UK, scientists warned today.

Effects of solar storms have been seen on Earth with brilliant auroras
spotted over parts of the country last night.

Reduced mobile phone, radio and television reception or even power cuts
could be some of the problems caused by the large solar flares unleashed
following a colossal explosion on the sun last week.

Peter Bond, spokesman for the Royal Astronomical Society said: "Flares can
affect short wave communications and satellites in the earth's orbit which
could mean problems for phones, television and radio signals.

"The flares have caused a huge amount of geo-magnetic activity as the
magnetic field takes a while to settle."

This is the largest radiation storm since October 1989, according to
experts.

Solar flares occur when energy stored in magnetic fields above sunspots is
suddenly released.

Communication blackouts have been reported in parts of North America and
northern Europe.

The two-man crew on the International Space Station were forced to sleep
away from their normal quarters when their orbit took them through the worst
of the storm - exposure to high levels of radiation can lead to health
problems such as cancer.

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