New system
could predict solar flares, give advance warning
Researchers
may have discovered a new method to predict solar flares more than a day before
they occur, providing advance warning to help protect satellites, power grids
and astronauts from potentially dangerous radiation.
The system
works by measuring differences in gamma radiation emitted when atoms in
radioactive elements "decay," or lose energy. This rate of decay is
widely believed to be constant, but recent findings challenge that
long-accepted rule.
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