Four colossal Sun flares in 48 hours

brianlux
brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,764
edited May 2013 in A Moving Train
Besides being a fascinating display of Mother Natures power, the solar activity coming at us this year might well entice us to ask some interesting questions such as- How well prepared are we to deal with some of the possible consequences of this activity and just what are those possible consequences?

And check out the link here- the photos are spectacular! :)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22539160

On Tuesday, it released the biggest solar flare of 2013 so far, an intense burst associated with a huge eruption of particles.

When these eruptions reach Earth, they can interfere with satellites and communications systems on the ground.

The sunspots that spawned these flares are not directly facing our planet, but some Nasa spacecraft could be in the path of the solar particles.

Increased numbers of flares are expected at the moment because the Sun's normal 11-year activity cycle is approaching its peak - known as a solar maximum - this year.

Dr Robert Massey, from the UK's Royal Astronomical Society, told the BBC: "What's interesting about these events is that you have them in quick succession.

"It really does say that we're approaching this 11-year peak. We can't say exactly when it's going to happen, you can only work it out respectively.

Despite this, the Sun had - up until the most recent events - been relatively quiet in 2013. Sunspot numbers had been below values in recent years and strong flares had been infrequent.

The intense bursts of energy this week were all "X-class" flares - the strongest type.

These are assigned a number which gives more information about their strength: An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is three times as intense, and so on.

The first of the recent flares, which was given an X1.7 designation, appeared at 0317 BST on Monday 13 May. That was followed by an X2.8-class flare at 1709 BST on the same day and an intense X3.2-class flare at 0217 BST on Tuesday.

These flares - the strongest solar activity of 2013 - occurred in the space of just 24 hours.

According to the Space Weather website, a fourth, X1-class flare was unleashed at 0252 on Wednesday.

"These are spectacular events, an X-class flare is equivalent to a billion hydrogen bombs. We're talking about a colossal amount of energy," said Dr Massey.

"The good news is that although these can cause problems - at worst - with power supplies and so on, there's really no threat to us living on the ground."

When intense enough, flares can disturb the Earth's atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This disrupts the radio signals for as long as the flare is happening.

Flares are associated with huge eruptions of matter from the Sun's atmosphere - known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

These CMEs can be even more disruptive because they are capable of sending billions of tonnes of charged gas and other particles into space. When powerful eruptions reach Earth, the charged matter can blow out transformers in power grids as well as tripping electronics on satellites.

The so-called Carrington Event of 1-2 September 1859 shorted telegraph wires, starting fires in North America and Europe, and caused bright aurorae (northern and southern lights) to be seen in Cuba and Hawaii.

Nasa says its Stereo-B and Spitzer spacecraft may be in the paths of the mass of particles unleashed by these recent events. The operators of those science missions can choose to put their spacecraft into a "safe mode" to protect the electronics in onboard instruments from being tripped.

"It's a really important area for economic reasons because if we don't learn how to protect satellites and the equipment we depend on, there is a serious issue there," said Dr Massey.
"It's a sad and beautiful world"
-Roberto Benigni

Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Pap
    Pap Serres, Greece Posts: 30,147
    :think: That's why my internet connection is shit these last couple of days...
    Athens 2006 / Milton Keynes 2014 / London 1&2 2022 / Seattle 1&2 2024 / Dublin 2024 / Manchester 2024 / New Orleans 2025
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,764
    Pap wrote:
    :think: That's why my internet connection is shit these last couple of days...

    Some say it might get much worse. Maybe we'll all get a chance to improve our penmanship. :lol:
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • badbrains
    badbrains Posts: 10,255
    This shit blows my mind. Anything with space mezmorizes me. Think of all the shit that's happened in 2013 years since Jesus. Now think of all the shit that happened say 30,000 years ago, say 100,000 years ago. How many times do you guys think our planet earth has been destroyed and restarted again? Imagine how many times, with the planet being 100's of millions years old (do we really know) was it hit by an asteroid or comet and it had to start all over again. Fucken amazing shit we don't know.....
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,764
    badbrains wrote:
    This shit blows my mind. Anything with space mezmorizes me. Think of all the shit that's happened in 2013 years since Jesus. Now think of all the shit that happened say 30,000 years ago, say 100,000 years ago. How many times do you guys think our planet earth has been destroyed and restarted again? Imagine how many times, with the planet being 100's of millions years old (do we really know) was it hit by an asteroid or comet and it had to start all over again. Fucken amazing shit we don't know.....

    Yeah, that shit is COOL! I want that old sun to stretch out and burn my fuckin' ass! :lol:
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Pap
    Pap Serres, Greece Posts: 30,147
    brianlux wrote:
    Pap wrote:
    :think: That's why my internet connection is shit these last couple of days...

    Some say it might get much worse. Maybe we'll all get a chance to improve our penmanship. :lol:

    :lol:
    Athens 2006 / Milton Keynes 2014 / London 1&2 2022 / Seattle 1&2 2024 / Dublin 2024 / Manchester 2024 / New Orleans 2025
  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    badbrains wrote:
    This shit blows my mind. Anything with space mezmorizes me. Think of all the shit that's happened in 2013 years since Jesus. Now think of all the shit that happened say 30,000 years ago, say 100,000 years ago. How many times do you guys think our planet earth has been destroyed and restarted again? Imagine how many times, with the planet being 100's of millions years old (do we really know) was it hit by an asteroid or comet and it had to start all over again. Fucken amazing shit we don't know.....
    Resilience. I love it in all forms.

    Nature (not just of this particular planet) is fuckin AMAZING. Life, I guess.

    I love that too, in all forms.

    (ok, in most forms)

    The angry-orange photo? Gorgeous.
  • oceaninmyeyes
    oceaninmyeyes Posts: 4,646
    brianlux wrote:
    badbrains wrote:
    This shit blows my mind. Anything with space mezmorizes me. Think of all the shit that's happened in 2013 years since Jesus. Now think of all the shit that happened say 30,000 years ago, say 100,000 years ago. How many times do you guys think our planet earth has been destroyed and restarted again? Imagine how many times, with the planet being 100's of millions years old (do we really know) was it hit by an asteroid or comet and it had to start all over again. Fucken amazing shit we don't know.....

    Yeah, that shit is COOL! I want that old sun to stretch out and burn my fuckin' ass! :lol:

    I believe that you could achieve that effect by running around with no pants. :lol::lol:
    And the sun it may be shining . . . but there's an ocean in my eyes
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,764
    oceaninmyeyes wrote:
    brianlux wrote:
    badbrains wrote:
    This shit blows my mind. Anything with space mezmorizes me. Think of all the shit that's happened in 2013 years since Jesus. Now think of all the shit that happened say 30,000 years ago, say 100,000 years ago. How many times do you guys think our planet earth has been destroyed and restarted again? Imagine how many times, with the planet being 100's of millions years old (do we really know) was it hit by an asteroid or comet and it had to start all over again. Fucken amazing shit we don't know.....

    Yeah, that shit is COOL! I want that old sun to stretch out and burn my fuckin' ass! :lol:

    I believe that you could achieve that effect by running around with no pants. :lol::lol:

    I haven't tried that before but, hmmm... :lol:

    Our modest little star, the sun, is awesome. It gives CPR to our planet each time it undergoes the destruction you mentioned, badbrains. Yes, that is amazing shit!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • chadwick
    chadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    to me solar flares are what the sun is made of, fire and or the like. im no nasa scientist or physicist or anything as many of you may have already guessed. I don't find shooting fire coming out of a fire ball all that amazing. what the fuck about the other side of the sun we can't see when we're on the other side?

    we can't be at two places at once. an enormous gassy fire ball, our nearest star is a ball of explosions 24/7
    365 as we know what time means to us would be different in outer-space

    im not excited because our sun has solar flares (as we call them). it is common knowledge to the star, our sun. it is common knowledge asshole scientists blow up to generate billions of dollars for their little research teams
    for poetry through the ceiling. ISBN: 1 4241 8840 7

    "Hear me, my chiefs!
    I am tired; my heart is
    sick and sad. From where
    the sun stands I will fight
    no more forever."
    Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
  • chadwick
    chadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    currently I have gas








    which is daily
    24/7
    364

    one day yearly
    roughly I do not have gas





    which is most probably a false statement
    for poetry through the ceiling. ISBN: 1 4241 8840 7

    "Hear me, my chiefs!
    I am tired; my heart is
    sick and sad. From where
    the sun stands I will fight
    no more forever."
    Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
  • rollings
    rollings unknown Posts: 7,127
    badbrains wrote:
    This shit blows my mind. Anything with space mezmorizes me. Think of all the shit that's happened in 2013 years since Jesus. Now think of all the shit that happened say 30,000 years ago, say 100,000 years ago. How many times do you guys think our planet earth has been destroyed and restarted again? Imagine how many times, with the planet being 100's of millions years old (do we really know) was it hit by an asteroid or comet and it had to start all over again. Fucken amazing shit we don't know.....

    Didn't this happen just once?
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,764
    chadwick wrote:
    currently I have gas



    which is daily
    24/7
    364

    one day yearly
    roughly I do not have gas





    which is most probably a false statement
    None of the above? All of the above?

    I think we all are full of gas. Be careful where you light a match!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,764
    rollings wrote:
    badbrains wrote:
    This shit blows my mind. Anything with space mezmorizes me. Think of all the shit that's happened in 2013 years since Jesus. Now think of all the shit that happened say 30,000 years ago, say 100,000 years ago. How many times do you guys think our planet earth has been destroyed and restarted again? Imagine how many times, with the planet being 100's of millions years old (do we really know) was it hit by an asteroid or comet and it had to start all over again. Fucken amazing shit we don't know.....

    Didn't this happen just once?

    Technically speaking, the planet has never been destroyed, has it? But there have been five recognized major extinction events. Are we creating the sixth?
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • chadwick
    chadwick up my ass Posts: 21,157
    brianlux wrote:
    chadwick wrote:
    currently I have gas



    which is daily
    24/7
    364

    one day yearly
    roughly I do not have gas





    which is most probably a false statement
    None of the above? All of the above?

    I think we all are full of gas. Be careful where you light a match!
    everyday... gas
    like the sun
    blowing things up :lol:
    for poetry through the ceiling. ISBN: 1 4241 8840 7

    "Hear me, my chiefs!
    I am tired; my heart is
    sick and sad. From where
    the sun stands I will fight
    no more forever."
    Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
  • g under p
    g under p Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,246
    Those sun eruption images are just too awesome. Check out this video of those same images.

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunea ... ament.html

    Peace
    *We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti

    *MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
    .....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti

    *The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)


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