Solar eruption no affect on Lanka

Disna MUDALIGE

The solar eruption has caused no disturbance to radio and satellite communication in Sri Lanka, Colombo University Physics Department Senior Lecturer Chandana Jayaratne told the Daily News yesterday.

He said that the solar eruption reported to have occurred on February 15 was not very powerful and its effect on Earth has been diminishing. "The eruption of a solar flare was reported in December 2006 too. There are past records where solar flares were extended for a distance of eight times more than the Earth's diameter," he said. Jayaratne said that the effect of the solar eruption was reported to have been slightly felt by China.

"It is feared that the whole satellite system would be disturbed by a strong solar flare one day. However this is not a strong solar eruption and the high enthusiasm in the world over this incident is due to the fact that it was reported after four years," he said.