RUN! GIANT FIREBALL IN SKY IS ATTACKING!!

[underpants]

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2726519&page=1

[Deja Q]

1. I'll get the marshmallows!

:9

(You get the silk sheets! :D )

[Rex]

2. The giant fireball is either with the solar system

or is against us. Which is it Mr. Fireball? Do you support freedom and democracy or will you side with George Bush?

We await your answer.

[underpants]

3. This confirms W's plans to attack the sun

he figured we'd go at night. He always said that he was sure the sun would attack during the day. English intelligence confirmed it.

[Rex]

15. The Sun is a unknown known, drool, gobilty gook, stay the course,

a thousand points of light and that dam terrorist Sun! Always making it hot! I believe the Sun to be an imminent (haha didn't say immediate) threat to mankind!

Quick we launch at sunset! No one stays, everyone goes! :crazy:

[MADem]

4. Yeah....and will it STAY THE COURSE.... or CUT 'n RUN??? NT

[originalpckelly]

17. Mr. Fireball may have weapons of mass disruption:

In 1998 a communications satellite broke down because of the radiation striking it, cutting off pager signals, long-distance calls and some radio transmissions.

In 1989 there was a blackout in Quebec, and scientists decided afterwards that it was the result of a power surge directly related to a solar flare.

[Rex]

19. Is the Sun's middle name Hussein?

Someone call in the Swift Spaceship Veterans for the Truth and Not Working for the Republican Party So Stop Saying That! Or SSVTNWRPSSST for short.

Anyone call McCain yet? Maybe the Sun will run as his VP in 2008.

[BlueStorm]

5. Maybe Bush will name the Sun an "enemy combatant"

and send it to Gitmo.

Blue

[nashville_brook]

6. shuttle astronauts could be affected by "violent space storm"

http://www.local6.com/technology/10523819/detail.html

Astronauts Forced To Take Shelter From Violent Solar Storm In Space

A violent solar explosion sent a dangerous wave of radiation through space late Tuesday, prompting NASA to order the crews of Discovery and the International Space Station to take shelter overnight, according to Local 6 News partner Florida Today.

The solar flare erupted around 9:40 p.m., unleashing enough radiation to disrupt radio communications on Earth and in orbit while endangering astronauts circling 220 miles above the planet.

NASA flight surgeons and agency radiation experts determined that the burst of highly energetic particles approached a limit that made preventative action prudent, Florida Today reported.

[nashville_brook]

12. PIC

[nashville_brook]

14. another interesting image + animation of the flare

go to the link for the animation -- tres cool.


http://www.lmsal.com/solarsoft/latest_events_summary/gev_20061213_0214/gev_20061213_0214_lm.html

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

23. I'm sure astronauts Richards, Storm, and Grimm will be just fine.

Right?
:D
(I'm such a geek)

[nashville_brook]

25. yikes! they're already dealing with the question of wing panels again...

being on the Space Coast here, a shuttle launch is giant "family affair." you can't help but get a teary-eyed seeing the damn thing go up... holding your breath and hoping for the best.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

26. I'll bet. I didn't mean to make light of the astronauts who are actually up there.

I really want to see a shuttle launch live sometime.

(My previous quote was a reference to the Fantastic Four comic book and how the characters got their powers. Sorry about that.)

[nashville_brook]

31. i totally got that! i've been away from here for 20 years...

and i'd forgotten how emotional it is. it's kinda like The Hometeam being sent to the playoffs -- only with life and death on the line. then you watch the giant, flaming plume go up into SPACE and it hits you: this is BIG. this is SPECIAL. GODSPEED.

[karlrschneider]

7. We must fight it THERE so we won't have to fight it HERE!!1!1!!!

This is HUGH!

[goforit]

11. Y'all are hilarious.

[ToolTex]

34. We're screwn!

[Hubert Flottz]

8. Let's all wake up and piss, on three!

One Two WHIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Big light slated to appear in sky over East, sonic boom scares minority group in sector R and there's hamburger all over the highway in Mystic Connecticut...those are the headlines...in a moment the rumors behind today's news...

[WilliamPitt]

9. Rove again

That bastid.

[tabasco]

10. The Sun is attempting to acquire "nucular" materials from Africa!

We would hate for the smoking gun to be a giant fireball !

[Neshanic]

13. Uh...my Bull Mastiff is now the size of an fashion accessory dog.

Thank God for the Fireball...now I can take him into Nieman Marcus.

[LSK]

16. i see you are expanding on your hurricane prediction business

:popcorn:

[nashville_brook]

18. "auroras as far south as the northern United States"

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/061213_solar_storm.html

Space weather forecasters revised their predictions for storminess after a major flare erupted on the Sun overnight threatening damage to communication systems and power grids while offering up the wonder of Northern Lights.

"We're looking for very strong, severe geomagnetic storming" to begin probably around mid-day Thursday, Joe Kunches, Lead Forecaster at the NOAA Space Environment Center, told SPACE.com this afternoon.

The storm is expected to generate aurora or Northern Lights, as far south as the northern United States Thursday night. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are not expected to be put at additional risk, Kunches said.

[ToolTex]

30. Let me know if it gets to Texas, so I can put on my tinfoil hat and go outside.

BTW, the astronauts had to sleep in their tinfoil hats last night just to stay safe from ole Sol's emoticons.

[nashville_brook]

32. put the tinfoil in your teeth and bite down -- you'll get aurora in your eyes.

[ToolTex]

35. Wow! I shore did! I'm goina do that again as soon as I get more tinfoil.

I swallard my hat.

[BadgerKid]

20. Nern/NEern 1/4th of US could see aurorae

The planetary Kp index is at 7, which means roughly the northern/NEern quarter of the US should be able to see the southern egde of the aurora.

[Warren DeMontague]

21. "I blame the gays, the pagans, the pro choicers, the ACLU... You MADE this happen"

Just figure I might as well Pre-empt the Pat and Jerry Show.

[shadowknows69]

22. I'm looking forward to starting the Fantastic Four

whos in?

[nebenaube]

24. it must have hit hard at about 1:09 cst....

all circuits failed here, computers went down save the one's on UPS and the UPS screamed it's head off when it happened.

[PVnRT]

27. Four Astronauts Feared Dead Following Unauthorized Shuttle Launch

AP - Four astronauts are feared dead as a result of today's solar storm.

The launch was not authorized by NASA or any other international space agency.

The shuttle crew is reportedly by scientist Reed Richards and longtime partner Sue Storm. They were joined on the crew by co-pilot Ben Grimm, longtime friend of Mr. Richards, and Ms. Storm's college-age brother, John.

A source with NASA reports that the launch was tracked shortly after liftoff, and encountered trouble caused by the storm shortly after achieving orbit. The shuttle was last seen losing altitude and is believed to have come down somewhere near the New York City area.

Officials are asking all citizens to report any news of the crash, and caution them to stay away, for fear of possible radioactive contamination.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

28. I like your comment better than mine above

:D

Glad to see I'm not the only one who thought that when I heard about this solar storm.

[ToolTex]

33. I believe all circuits to and from NYC are down for some reason.

What ever could be ahappenin?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

29. "The sun's not yellow ...

... it's Chicken!"


from some old dylan song.