Solar storm traveling 2.5 million miles per hour headed to Earth

A strong solar flare is making its way to Earth, but scientists say there's no reason to panic.

Tom Berger, director of the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, told The Associated Press that a storm of this size coming from the middle of the sun hasn't occurred in quite a few years, but new calculations from satellite data show that the "worst of the energetic particles" will most likely go above the Earth. That could cause some disturbances in radio transmissions and satellites, but Berger is "not scared of this one."

The storm is speeding along at a "medium fast" pace: 2.5 million miles per hour, and should reach Earth as soon as early Friday. "There's been a giant magnetic explosion on the sun," Berger said. "Because it's pointed right at us, we'll at least catch some of the cloud."

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