X class solar flare

[Celebration]

http://www.spaceweather.com/

SOLAR FLARE: A powerful X-class solar flare erupted from sunspot 792 this morning at 0635 UT. SOHO coronagraph images are not yet available, so we don't know if the blast produced a coronal mass ejection (CME). If it did, auroras are possible tonight or tomorrow when the CME reaches Earth. Stay tuned for updates.

.........snip......................

SUNSPOTS: Sunspot 792, which rounded the sun's eastern limb yesterday, poses a growing threat for Earth-directed explosions--and that's not all. At least one more active region could emerge in the days ahead. Towering magnetic fields jutting over the sun's eastern limb--the same place sunspot 792 came from--signal a new batch of sunspots approaching.

[greekspeak]

1. It is amazing that anything that beautiful could be so HOT

What an awe-inspiring shot. And the special effects will reach earth. Do astronomers appreciate the beauty of these events?

[Ian David]

2. That's apparently an artistic interpretation

Sunspot 792 erupts on July 29th. Earth is shown for comparison.
Image credit: Didier Favre.


I'm sure the real thing is just as beautiful (if not more).

[beam me up scottie]

4. I really miss watching the aurora borealis since I've moved south.

Perhaps I may get a glimpse of the lights tonight.

[Ian David]

6. I blame the oil companies for de-stabilizing the sun n/t

[wli]

3. will it do more than auroras?

For instance, cause additional heating of the earth due to increased luminosity or other effects?

[Celebration]

5. communications

Scientists classify solar flares according to their x-ray brightness in the wavelength range 1 to 8 Angstroms. There are 3 categories: X-class flares are big; they are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. M-class flares are medium-sized; they generally cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth's polar regions. Minor radiation storms sometimes follow an M-class flare. Compared to X- and M-class events, C-class flares are small with few noticeable consequences here on Earth.

http://www.spaceweather.com/glossary/flareclasses.html

I guess I will just keep checking back at the website to see if I need to look for the aurora tonight.....

[Celebration]

7. update

AURORA ALERT: A coronal mass ejection (CME) is heading toward Earth following an X-class explosion from sunspot 792 on July 30th: movie. Sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the CME arrives on July 31st or August 1st. The display, if there is one, shouldn't be intense; the CME was not squarely Earth-directed, which reduces its likely impact.

SUNSPOTS: Sunspot 792, which rounded the sun's eastern limb yesterday, poses a growing threat for Earth-directed explosions--and that's not all. At least one more active region could emerge in the days ahead. Towering magnetic fields jutting over the sun's eastern limb--the same place sunspot 792 came from--signal a new batch of sunspots approaching.

http://www.spaceweather.com /

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

8. Ooooo

Now that is aesthetically pleasing.

[Celebration]

9. Update 2

http://www.spaceweather.com/

SUNSPOTS: Sprawling sunspot 792 has a complicated magnetic field that harbors energy for powerful X-class solar flares. The chance of an Earth-directed explosion is increasing as the sun's rotation turns the active region more and more to face our planet. Solar activity should remain high in the days ahead.

http://hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov/sftheory/questions.htm#shuttle

Some high-energy charged particles ("cosmic rays") do penetrate down to the Shuttle orbit and to the surface of the Earth. Collisions with the Earth's atmosphere stops most of these particles. The flux of these particles is higher at the Shuttle, however, since its orbit is above much of the atmosphere. Therefore, the risk of damage is higher at the Shuttle orbit than at the surface of the Earth. The Shuttle shroud does provide protection, but not from the highest energy particles. The Shuttle astronauts have in fact seen flashes resulting from the interaction of high-energy protons with their eyes. Nevertheless, the increased health risk is not unacceptably high.

[Desertrose]

10. not flares or sunspots but pretty cool!

"Spaceships"!!!!



"On July 28, 2005 some members of our astronomy club 'AAW Darmstadt' were lucky to catch both the ISS and the space shuttle Discovery flying across the sun's disk," says Gunnar Glitscher of Darmstadt, Germany. "The distance between the spacecraft was only 183 meters. At the time, the shuttle was undergoing a flip maneuver for inspection by the station's crew. The view in my 4-inch refractor was incredible."

[SteppingRazor]

11. But what's that other black dot in the upper right corner?!!!

THIS IS PROOF OF UFOS!!!!!!!



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