Ok - there’s good news and bad news. I always start with bad news.

The bad news is that the presence of large amounts of solar particles near the Earth’s magnetic field show that the shield that normally keeps these particles out isn’t in good shape. We’re in the low point of the solar cycle at this point, but when it picks up around 2012, we can expect this solar issue to “interfere with satellites’ power sources, endanger spacewalkers, and even knock out power grids on Earth.”

The good news is, the cool ass colors in the aurora found at the Earth’s poles will be magnified and intensified as solar activity increases.

Full story here.