Chabot Offers Chance to See Sun, in the Midst of a Solar Storm Now Hitting Earth

The sun is in the process of blitzing Earth with radiation from the biggest solar storm in more than six years, and Chabot Space and Science Center is offering East Bay residents a chance to safely observe with solar viewers and solar telescopes.

The center is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, but open every other day. For hours and other information, visit Chabot's website.

The flare started Sunday around 8 p.m. The biggest issue is radiation, experts say, which could disrupt satellite operations along with astronauts currently in space. Radiation from Sunday's flare arrived at Earth an hour after the storm started, and will likely continue through today, Wednesday, experts say. Though radiation levels could be worse, this is the strongest storm for radiation since May 2005.

If you're curious about how big this flare is, NASA has an animated map. The dots represent planets. 

Robert Ade, Chabot's spokesman, said the center has a display showing HD images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission and Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission — center-goers can see this display anytime.

He said the center aslo has an astronomer who knows a great deal about the sun, and has worked for NASA on solar projects. And as always, people can look at the sun — safely — through the center's specialized equipment.