Solar flare eruptions set to reach Earth
Is this why my Freeview box is being weird tonight and making everything look too colourful? Or have all the Sky News presenters been given too much makeup?
SPUTTYBABY - fact us till we fart.
Solar Flare
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Inspector Sands
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- Joined: Wed 25 Aug, 2004 00.37
- Location: London
I was listening to the 5 Live Science podcast earlier and they were talking about the Carrington Super Flare which occurred during The Solar Storm of 1859, the strongest recorded solar storm. This disrupted the telegraph networks, gave shocks to the operators and started some fires: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859 It's not just radio transmissions that flares affect, it's the equipment, a solar storm in 1989 in Quebec affected satellites and caused power cuts. There have been examples of solar storms killing satellites
Apparently the 11 year solar cycle peaks next year so there could well be more events like this one coming up over the next couple of years. Who knows though, we could see the Northern Lights this far south... they have gone down as far as Florida in the past
Apparently the 11 year solar cycle peaks next year so there could well be more events like this one coming up over the next couple of years. Who knows though, we could see the Northern Lights this far south... they have gone down as far as Florida in the past
The present solar cycle (24) is much weaker than had been predicted, and may take longer to peak than the original suggestion of 2012. That said, the strength of the solar cycle doesn't have much impact on the strength of individual solar flares - indeed I've read a theory that suggests that while there may be fewer sunspots visible in a weak cycle, those which do occur may be more prone to producing strong flares.
Certainly if we had a repeat of the Carrington Flare there would be major disruption to satellite and earth-based communications and electrical systems on earth.
The problem is that no one knows if a flare of the magnitude of the Carrington event happens once every 1000 years or once every 100 years. If it's the latter we're well overdue one.
Certainly if we had a repeat of the Carrington Flare there would be major disruption to satellite and earth-based communications and electrical systems on earth.
The problem is that no one knows if a flare of the magnitude of the Carrington event happens once every 1000 years or once every 100 years. If it's the latter we're well overdue one.
Not pointed at earth, but this occurred yesterday...
http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/galler ... r_prom.mp4
http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/galler ... r_prom.mp4