Major Solar Flare Today: Third most powerful flare in recorded history - GoFuckYourself.com

NoCarrier · 10-28-2003, 11:53 AM

http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...re_031028.html

The Sun today unleashed what appears to be the third most powerful flare in recorded history, a storm of charged particles that could hit Earth mid-day Wednesday with more effect than any since 1989, when an entire Canadian province had its power knocked out.

Depending on the storm's magnetic orientation, it could set off a dramatic display of colorful northern lights well into mid-latitudes of the United States and Europe.

Meanwhile, satellite operators and power grid managers are preparing to endure a potentially damaging event. And astronauts aboard the International Space Station have taken cover from heavier radiation sent out by the flare. They are not expected to be in any serious danger.

Kicked up at 6 a.m. EST (1100 UT) today, the major solar outburst comes on the heels of four other flares late last week and over the weekend. All were considered fairly severe, but the latest eruption makes the others seem like solar sneezes.

Today's blast is classified as an X17, where X denotes a major flare and larger numbers are stronger. That compares to two flare-ups over the weekend that were rated less than X2.

"The flare today may be the third strongest X-flare on record," said Paal Brekke, deputy project scientist for the SOHO spacecraft, which first spotted the event.

A slightly stronger flare on April 2, 2001 was not pointed at Earth. Today's storm is headed directly at us and could generate fantastic colorful lights in the atmosphere, known as aurora. The storm associated with the flare is called a coronal mass ejection, an expanding bubble of charged particles that race outward.

Coming fast

The storm is traveling quicker than most and is forecast to arrive about 30 hours after it left the Sun, Joe Kunches, lead forecaster at NOAA's Space Environment Center, said in a telephone interview. That would put the arrival at about Noon EST Wednesday (1700 UT).

"That's when it starts," Kunches said. But the storm will blow through over several hours, he said, and won't be done for up to two days.

"We may be in for some great aurora," Brekke said.

Aurora are created when the charged solar particles stream down Earth's magnetic field lines and excite oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere. Normally the aurora are only visible from places near the poles, like Alaska. But when Earth's magnetic field is overwhelmed, the aurora can dip will into the United States and Europe.

Wednesday evening could provide the best chance to see aurora for U.S. residents. Those in the far north may see activity pick up tonight and endure into Thursday.

The storm is also potentially a serious threat to satellites and other communication systems, including power grids on Earth. Kunches said satellite operators and power grid managers are likely to take stringent measures to protect their assets. Engineers can put some satellites into hibernation modes, and power grid operators arrange for less switching and fewer large-scale power swaps.

Unpredictable

Nobody can say in advance what will happen, though, because the result depends on the orientation of Earth's magnetic field in relation to that of the storm.

"Until we know the orientation of the magnetic field in this [storm] cloud we won't know how severe the geomagnetic storm will be," Brekke said. "If the cloud has a southward directed magnetic field it will be severe, while if it has a northward component it will not affect us that much."

The space storm is intrinsically stronger than one on March 6, 1989 that tripped a power grid in Quebec, Canada.

Lesser storms have caused satellite problems. In 1997, an AT&T Telestar 401 satellite used to broadcast television shows from networks to local affiliates was knocked out during a solar storm. In May 1998 a solar blast disabled PanAmSat's Galaxy IV. Among the casualties: automated teller machines; gas station credit card handling services; 80 percent of all pagers in the United States; news wire service feeds; CNN's airport network; and some airline weather tracking services.

The greatest solar storm on record occurred in 1859, shorting out telegraph wires and starting fires in the United States and Europe. Brekke told SPACE.com today's storm, if it hooks up with Earth in just the right way, would be about one-third as strong as the 1859 tempest. It could, he added, be either less or more powerful than the 1989 storm.

The coronal mass ejection is one in a series sent out by two huge sunspots, the largest pair to grace the Sun at one time in recent memory. Sunspot 486 was responsible for this blast. More are possible in coming days.

Astronauts take cover

Today's eruption also accelerated a high-energy proton shower. These can cause damage to satellites and can be harmful for astronauts, Brekke said. NASA is careful not to plan spacewalks during solar storms.

Aboard the International Space Station the Expedition Eight crew of Mike Foale and Alexander Kaleri adjusted their workday a bit in response to the storm. Radiation from a solar flare -- which preceded the coronal mass ejection -- arrives at light-speed and has already been detected at the orbiting outpost. Light and other radiation travels from the Sun to Earth in about 8 minutes.

Beginning at 8:49 a.m. EST Tuesday and continuing through 1:45 p.m. EST, the two-man caretaker crew confined themselves to the most heavily protected area of the station for about 20 minutes during every 90-minute orbit.

The specific times, all in EST, are 9:35 to 9:55 a.m., 10:20 to 10:45 a.m., 11:50 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and 1:25 to 1:45 p.m.

The times coincide with when the station's orbit takes it to the farthest north and south points from the equator, areas where Earth's magnetic fields provide the least amount of natural protection from the Sun's fury.

"The crew has seen some higher levels of radiation, so that's exactly why they do this," said NASA spokesman Kyle Herring. "The flight surgeons monitor this very, very closely."

Increased solar activity also prompted the Expedition Two and Expedition Three crews to take similar precautions in April and November 2001, respectively. The safest part of the station is the far end of the Russian Zvezda service module.

The Soyuz spacecraft -- one of which returned to Earth last night with the crew of Expedition Seven -- is not as safe, as many people think because it has a heat shield, Herring said. Another Soyuz spacecraft remains docked to the station.

"The Soyuz offers probably the least amount of protection," Herring said.

hyatla · 10-28-2003, 11:55 AM

Will it hit LA?

If so, this town is terminated.

Martin · 10-28-2003, 11:55 AM

Hope it's not getting ready to blow it's self out..

FookMi · 10-28-2003, 12:02 PM

Thats pretty cool. A bit frightening, but cool nonetheless.

brand0n · 10-28-2003, 12:06 PM

that is some cool shit

clubsexy · 10-28-2003, 12:08 PM

scary.... I hope it doesn't fry everything!

Project-Shadow · 10-28-2003, 01:17 PM

aurora borealis

nap · 10-28-2003, 01:28 PM

nice article

ldinternet · 10-28-2003, 01:29 PM

I hope it clears my fucking chest infection. Here's to hope....

johnbosh · 10-28-2003, 01:32 PM

lot's of flares last time

KRL · 10-28-2003, 01:32 PM

486 is the sunspot that caused it.

OK who pissed off the Sun?

tical · 10-28-2003, 01:34 PM

fuck yeah the sun r0x!

GrimJim · 10-28-2003, 02:44 PM

Out from the smoke covered skies here in San Diego, I could swear I can see 486 and 488 with my naked eye. Granted the sun is red here...

wizz · 10-28-2003, 02:47 PM

10-28-2003, 11:53 AM	#1
NoCarrier We need more free porn Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Montreal Posts: 16,356	Major Solar Flare Today: Third most powerful flare in recorded history http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...re_031028.html The Sun today unleashed what appears to be the third most powerful flare in recorded history, a storm of charged particles that could hit Earth mid-day Wednesday with more effect than any since 1989, when an entire Canadian province had its power knocked out. Depending on the storm's magnetic orientation, it could set off a dramatic display of colorful northern lights well into mid-latitudes of the United States and Europe. Meanwhile, satellite operators and power grid managers are preparing to endure a potentially damaging event. And astronauts aboard the International Space Station have taken cover from heavier radiation sent out by the flare. They are not expected to be in any serious danger. Kicked up at 6 a.m. EST (1100 UT) today, the major solar outburst comes on the heels of four other flares late last week and over the weekend. All were considered fairly severe, but the latest eruption makes the others seem like solar sneezes. Today's blast is classified as an X17, where X denotes a major flare and larger numbers are stronger. That compares to two flare-ups over the weekend that were rated less than X2. "The flare today may be the third strongest X-flare on record," said Paal Brekke, deputy project scientist for the SOHO spacecraft, which first spotted the event. A slightly stronger flare on April 2, 2001 was not pointed at Earth. Today's storm is headed directly at us and could generate fantastic colorful lights in the atmosphere, known as aurora. The storm associated with the flare is called a coronal mass ejection, an expanding bubble of charged particles that race outward. Coming fast The storm is traveling quicker than most and is forecast to arrive about 30 hours after it left the Sun, Joe Kunches, lead forecaster at NOAA's Space Environment Center, said in a telephone interview. That would put the arrival at about Noon EST Wednesday (1700 UT). "That's when it starts," Kunches said. But the storm will blow through over several hours, he said, and won't be done for up to two days. "We may be in for some great aurora," Brekke said. Aurora are created when the charged solar particles stream down Earth's magnetic field lines and excite oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere. Normally the aurora are only visible from places near the poles, like Alaska. But when Earth's magnetic field is overwhelmed, the aurora can dip will into the United States and Europe. Wednesday evening could provide the best chance to see aurora for U.S. residents. Those in the far north may see activity pick up tonight and endure into Thursday. The storm is also potentially a serious threat to satellites and other communication systems, including power grids on Earth. Kunches said satellite operators and power grid managers are likely to take stringent measures to protect their assets. Engineers can put some satellites into hibernation modes, and power grid operators arrange for less switching and fewer large-scale power swaps. Unpredictable Nobody can say in advance what will happen, though, because the result depends on the orientation of Earth's magnetic field in relation to that of the storm. "Until we know the orientation of the magnetic field in this [storm] cloud we won't know how severe the geomagnetic storm will be," Brekke said. "If the cloud has a southward directed magnetic field it will be severe, while if it has a northward component it will not affect us that much." The space storm is intrinsically stronger than one on March 6, 1989 that tripped a power grid in Quebec, Canada. Lesser storms have caused satellite problems. In 1997, an AT&T Telestar 401 satellite used to broadcast television shows from networks to local affiliates was knocked out during a solar storm. In May 1998 a solar blast disabled PanAmSat's Galaxy IV. Among the casualties: automated teller machines; gas station credit card handling services; 80 percent of all pagers in the United States; news wire service feeds; CNN's airport network; and some airline weather tracking services. The greatest solar storm on record occurred in 1859, shorting out telegraph wires and starting fires in the United States and Europe. Brekke told SPACE.com today's storm, if it hooks up with Earth in just the right way, would be about one-third as strong as the 1859 tempest. It could, he added, be either less or more powerful than the 1989 storm. The coronal mass ejection is one in a series sent out by two huge sunspots, the largest pair to grace the Sun at one time in recent memory. Sunspot 486 was responsible for this blast. More are possible in coming days. Astronauts take cover Today's eruption also accelerated a high-energy proton shower. These can cause damage to satellites and can be harmful for astronauts, Brekke said. NASA is careful not to plan spacewalks during solar storms. Aboard the International Space Station the Expedition Eight crew of Mike Foale and Alexander Kaleri adjusted their workday a bit in response to the storm. Radiation from a solar flare -- which preceded the coronal mass ejection -- arrives at light-speed and has already been detected at the orbiting outpost. Light and other radiation travels from the Sun to Earth in about 8 minutes. Beginning at 8:49 a.m. EST Tuesday and continuing through 1:45 p.m. EST, the two-man caretaker crew confined themselves to the most heavily protected area of the station for about 20 minutes during every 90-minute orbit. The specific times, all in EST, are 9:35 to 9:55 a.m., 10:20 to 10:45 a.m., 11:50 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and 1:25 to 1:45 p.m. The times coincide with when the station's orbit takes it to the farthest north and south points from the equator, areas where Earth's magnetic fields provide the least amount of natural protection from the Sun's fury. "The crew has seen some higher levels of radiation, so that's exactly why they do this," said NASA spokesman Kyle Herring. "The flight surgeons monitor this very, very closely." Increased solar activity also prompted the Expedition Two and Expedition Three crews to take similar precautions in April and November 2001, respectively. The safest part of the station is the far end of the Russian Zvezda service module. The Soyuz spacecraft -- one of which returned to Earth last night with the crew of Expedition Seven -- is not as safe, as many people think because it has a heat shield, Herring said. Another Soyuz spacecraft remains docked to the station. "The Soyuz offers probably the least amount of protection," Herring said.

10-28-2003, 11:55 AM	#2
hyatla Confirmed User Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 1,720	Will it hit LA? If so, this town is terminated. __________________ <a href="http://click.dtiserv2.com/Click/1125-99-us979" target="_blank">DTI cash: Top Asian Sponsor, $75 to new affiliates</a><br> <br> ICQ: 274731765

10-28-2003, 11:55 AM	#3
Martin "Assassins" Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: At home Posts: 17,277	Hope it's not getting ready to blow it's self out.. __________________

10-28-2003, 12:02 PM	#4
FookMi Confirmed User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida Posts: 368	Thats pretty cool. A bit frightening, but cool nonetheless. __________________ "I'ma get you high today."

10-28-2003, 12:06 PM	#5
brand0n been very busy Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: the queen city Posts: 26,983	that is some cool shit __________________ want to buy this spot for cheap? it is of course for sale. long term deals are always the best bet. brand0n/ at/ a o l dot commies.

10-28-2003, 12:08 PM	#6
clubsexy Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 1,630	scary.... I hope it doesn't fry everything! __________________ SIG TOO BIG! Maximum 120x60 button and no more than 3 text lines of DEFAULT SIZE and COLOR. Unless your sig is for a GFY top banner sponsor, then you may use a 624x80 instead of a 120x60.

10-28-2003, 01:17 PM	#7
Project-Shadow Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 7,340	aurora borealis

10-28-2003, 01:28 PM	#8
nap Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: midwest Posts: 2,765	nice article

10-28-2003, 01:29 PM	#9
ldinternet Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 8,245	I hope it clears my fucking chest infection. Here's to hope....

10-28-2003, 01:32 PM	#10
johnbosh Confirmed User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: The Netherlands, Rotterdam Posts: 8,965	lot's of flares last time

10-28-2003, 01:32 PM	#11
KRL Entrepreneur Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: USA Posts: 31,429	486 is the sunspot that caused it. OK who pissed off the Sun? __________________ If you would like to develop your domains, you can lease inexpensive foreign labor from the leaders in the field at iWebmasters.com TO LOWER YOUR COSTS AND INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTION! * * * * * * * * * * * * Domains Adult News KRL's Newsletter Biz Tips Just Listed Domains

10-28-2003, 01:34 PM	#12
tical Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 6,504	fuck yeah the sun r0x!

10-28-2003, 02:44 PM	#13
GrimJim Registered User Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 7	Out from the smoke covered skies here in San Diego, I could swear I can see 486 and 488 with my naked eye. Granted the sun is red here...

10-28-2003, 02:47 PM	#14
wizz Confirmed User Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 634	__________________ SIG TOO BIG! Maximum 120x60 button and no more than 3 text lines of DEFAULT SIZE and COLOR. Unless your sig is for a GFY top banner sponsor, then you may use a 624x80 instead of a 120x60.