And we'll be in the direct line of fire soon.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded a massive solar flare on Thursday (Jan 5) at 7:45 p.m. EST (0045 GMT on Jan. 6). The outburst blasted out a glowing-hot plasma dome that lingered above the sunspot AR3182 for over an hour, according to Spaceweather.com. Because of the sun's rotation, the lively sunspot will soon face Earth and could continue its explosive activity in the days ahead.
Solar flares are categorized by size into lettered groups, with X-class being the most powerful. Within each class, numbers from 1 to 10 (and beyond, for X-class flares) denote a flare's relative strength. The recent flare clocked in at X1.2, a relatively weak example of the most powerful class.
Traveling at the speed of light, the radiation reached Earth in just over eight minutes and ionized the upper layer of Earth's atmosphere — the thermosphere — triggering a shortwave radio blackout across the South Pacific.
Another mass coronal ejection like the Carrington Event could take down the electrical grid for a decade or longer. Every transmission transformer would be fried and need replacement
ReplyDeleteFear Porn!!!
DeleteIt's another Trump/Russian collusion to undermine Hillary's 2024 presidential run.
ReplyDeleteLove the site as a daily visitor. First post here as I’m a closet astronomy geek – so here goes.
ReplyDeleteIt not a straight forward scale – it is logarithmic. An X2 is ten times the power of an X1, an X3 in ten times the power of an X2 etc.
An X1 is not the problem. In fact they are necessary to reenergise our outer atmosphere and also the magnetic field.
An X10 + or a big Coronal Mass Eruption (CME) aimed right at us would give us Carrington like problems.
For anyone who likes graphs of what’s happening I watch https://spaceweathernews.com
yeh, what he said.
DeleteAre we dead yet?
ReplyDeleteYes, I died from Climate Change. What did you die of?
DeleteRacism. By the Amish.
DeleteThing is with a CME we would have a warning. Anywhere from 18 hours to a couple days. Many things could be taken off line, possibly in time. I know I would protect all my stuff. A deliberate EMP by a hostile nation would give us no warning and we would be truly Fucked.
ReplyDeleteWe'll all be dead in 10 years, only the democrats can save us by raising taxes!
ReplyDeleteI was killed by the loss of Net Neutrality.
ReplyDeleteThere's no speed light.
ReplyDeleteIs speed.
Is no light, is the instantaneous phenomenon of lumination = making of the visual spectre perception.