Earlier this morning,(Aug 1), NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) witnessed a complex magnetic eruption on the sun. The joint NASA/ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) -- a mission sitting at the L1 point between the Earth and the sun -- also spotted a large coronal mass ejection (CME) blasting in the direction of Earth.
This sequence of events led to a huge magnetic bubble of plasma being blasted into space. As the eruption was on the Earth-facing side of the sun, the CME is heading right for us -- see the SOHO video of the CME. We can expect its arrival on Aug. 3.
Incoming! The Sun Unleashes CME at Earth : Discovery News
"On the evening of August 3rd/4th, skywatchers in the northern U.S. and other countries should look toward the north for the rippling dancing “curtains” of green and red light."
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsyst...80210-cme.html
Photo op?


"This eruption is directed right at us and is expected to get here early in the day on Aug. 4th," said Leon Golub of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "It's the first major Earth-directed eruption in quite some time."
http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...ty-100802.html