A solar flare caused significant flight delays at Sweden’s largest airports on Wednesday, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (LFV).
LFV spokesman Per Froberg said that “At 3:45 p.m. (2:45 p.m. GMT), solar storms had disrupted the Earth’s magnetic field, causing radar malfunctions here in Sweden.”
Departures and landings were delayed at several airports, including Arlanda, Bromma, Malmo and Gothenburg. Control was restored after an hour.
According to Yahoo News:
“Solar flares project solar plasma, which consists of electrons, protons and alpha particles, at very high speed into space which can strike the Earth’s outer atmosphere and disrupt its magnetic field.
“This phenomenon is responsible for the northern lights and also the kind of magnetic storms that can disrupt the operation of communications satellites.”
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