Scientists: Strong Solar Storm Heading to Earth
Source: abc News
Scientists: Strong Solar Storm Heading to Earth
WASHINGTON Sep 10, 2014, 9:49 PM ET
By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer
A strong solar flare is blasting its way to Earth, but the worst of its power looks like it will barely skim above the planet and not cause many problems.
It has been several years since Earth has had a solar storm of this size coming from sunspots smack in the middle of the sun, said Tom Berger, director of the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado. The flare on the sun barely hits the "extreme" on forecasters' scale, but with its worst effects missing Earth it is only looking "potentially strong" at most when it arrives at Earth as a solar storm, he said.
New calculations from satellite data show that the worst of the energetic particles streaming from the sun likely will go north or above Earth this time, Berger said late Wednesday.
So while the power grid may see fluctuations because the storm will cause changes in Earth's magnetic field, it won't knock power systems off line, Berger said. It may cause slight disturbances in satellites and radio transmissions but nothing major....
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/scientists-extreme-solar-storm-heading-earth-25416134
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Solar flare could prompt brilliant Northern Lights display
Sun spot eruption caused strong solar flare
CBC News Posted: Sep 10, 2014
The Northern Lights may be especially brilliant during an expected geomagnetic storm Friday after a sun spot erupted early this week.
The sun spot eruption caused a particularly strong solar flare, according to Spaceweather.com. On the so-called Richter scale of solar flares, it registered as an X1, making it one of the biggest possible.
The flare could have prompted the sun to produce a coronal mass ejection (CME) or a set of gas bubbles threaded with magnetic field lines, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service Space Weather Prediction Center.
CME can affect solar wind flow and "produce disturbances that strike the Earth with sometimes catastrophic results," according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration website.... MORE
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)Orrex
(63,233 posts)The Wizard
(12,552 posts)roamer65
(36,747 posts)When we do, life will get "interesting".
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)I would assume these things are cyclical?
roamer65
(36,747 posts)There was a similar Carrington class event in July 2012, but it narrowly missed Earth.
We are in solar maximum right now.
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Which is good news for us. Although I'd still want research done on reinforcing and renovating our frankly badly outdated electric grid.
MillennialDem
(2,367 posts)es.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)Orrex
(63,233 posts)Bad times.
allan01
(1,950 posts)cosmicone
(11,014 posts)Sunlei
(22,651 posts)the preview pics
Judi Lynn
(160,649 posts)Sunlei
And I have to say - they are even better up close and personal Even this wonderfull pictures do they no real justise about how they really is
Diclotican
aggiesal
(8,937 posts)when this is predicted to happen.
2naSalit
(86,843 posts)visible in northern US by tomorrow night...
Meanwhile, we're having early winter starting tonight. Beartooth Pass up just NE of Yellowstone park closed Tuesday night due to snow. Much more falling tonight.
More info here too.
Amonester
(11,541 posts)Will get worse every year now.
2naSalit
(86,843 posts)that is probably so. It's raining right now but is beginning to turn to snow. Guess I'll getting my new tires this weekend after all. It's been in the low 30s at night for weeks already. It was quite evident that summer was over by the midle of the first week in August. But in all fairness, this is what used to be normal up here some twenty-five to thirty some odd years ago. And used to have far more snow. The past few years when we did have good amounts of snow a lot of folks who've only been here ten or fifteen years claim it's really crazy to get so much. I remember in the 1970s when there was a good seven to ten feet of snow base on the ground most of the winter with additive amounts coming and going along with several days to a couple weeks of sub zero temps in the daytime, all day long. We haven't seen temps like that in a long time which is bad because that's what will kill off the bark beetles eating our forests.
Interesting times lately.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)OnlinePoker
(5,727 posts)That could diminish the brightness of the Aurora, unfortunately.