[Zombie Hunter]

Amazing pciture and video:
Sun Unleashes 'Spectacular' & Powerful Eruption | Solar Flares, Sun Eruption & Sun Storms | Space Weather & Solar Cycle 24 | Space.com

"The sun unleashed a massive solar storm today (June 7) in a dazzling eruption that kicked up a vast cloud of magnetic plasma that appeared to rain back down over half of the sun's entire surface"

"It's nothing we really have to worry about," Young said in his video. "It's just really, really beautiful.""


Looks scary though! Suolar storms are definitely an area of concern for me in over the next 2 yeas!

 

[Radio Relay]

The sun has been doing this for 14 billion years now (give or take a couple billion), and the earth has managed just fine. If your really must worry about catastrophe from space, be more concerned about asteroids, and comets ... but, even that is hardly worth mentioning.

Here's a new one to lose sleep over ...
Rogue Black Holes Roam the Milky Way -- What if One Impacted the Sun?

 

[Zombie Hunter]

The sun has been doing this for 14 billion years now (give or take a couple billion), and the earth has managed just fine. If your really must worry about catastrophe from space, be more concerned about asteroids, and comets ... but, even that is hardly worth mentioning.

Here's a new one to lose sleep over ...
Rogue Black Holes Roam the Milky Way -- What if One Impacted the Sun?

My concern is about the very real threat to our electrical grid and satellites. I know they obviously aren’t going to hurt Earth. Living like the Amish or finding yourself in Afghanistan without functioning GPS we use for everything would sort of be a bad thing.

Oh and our sun is only about 4.5 billion years, you're thinking of the estimated age of our universe. I can't wrap my head around either length if time!

 

[Radio Relay]

Here's some more video of yesterday's solar event:

More Eye-Popping Video from the June 7 Solar Explosion

 

[Radio Relay]

My concern is about the very real threat to our electrical grid and satellites. I know they obviously aren’t going to hurt Earth. Living like the Amish or finding yourself in Afghanistan without functioning GPS we use for everything would sort of be a bad thing.

Oh and our sun is only about 4.5 billion years, you're thinking of the estimated age of our universe. I can't wrap my head around either length if time!

Yeah, sorry ... it's early, and coffee hasn't kicked in ... you're right, it's just 4.5 billion years old.

Yes, our infrastructure might be hit by a massive solar storm, but that would be survivable, and probably not have a catastrophic impact on the entire planet. A large comet or asteroid strike could potentially melt the surface of the planet. That would not be easy to survive, anywhere. ... Never the less, it's all extremely unlikely.

 

[SpeedQuest]

The effects should reach us about 6PM EST today. We'll see what happens!

 

[john_bud]

Actually they are saying that most of the ions will miss us. That's good because that flare was a whopper. A direct impact would have downed the entire power grid, probably all civilian satellites and potentially even a huge amount of electronics.

There is a case of a flare in the 1800's that blew out telegraph wires. Measured voltage spikes up to 2600v on the transatlantic cables UNDER THE OCEAN. Many wires were melted between poles.

Solar Storms

 

[Zombie Hunter]

Actually they are saying that most of the ions will miss us. That's good because that flare was a whopper. A direct impact would have downed the entire power grid, probably all civilian satellites and potentially even a huge amount of electronics.

There is a case of a flare in the 1800's that blew out telegraph wires. Measured voltage spikes up to 2600v on the transatlantic cables UNDER THE OCEAN. Many wires were melted between poles.

Solar Storms

I thought it was impressive from a CME standpoint but the X-Rays weren't that strong, what was it class M-2 but not X-10+ or something like that? I'm still trying to understand all this!

 

[ArmyGuy45]

Are those pics from Earth of the Sun? If so, then its going away from us. Or do we have a satellite that is somewhere else looking at the Sun?

Cool pics though, my kinda party!

 

[Reyort]

I can see one major immediate impact from a solar flare: loss of refrigeration. Can you imagine how much food would be lost? We have about 3 days of food at any given time. I am curious how mon that stuff would last.

 

[ArmyGuy45]

I can see one major immediate impact from a solar flare: loss of refrigeration. Can you imagine how much food would be lost? We have about 3 days of food at any given time. I am curious how mon that stuff would last.

My mother shops at Costco as if her boys still live at home. She prob has 3 months worth.:shock:

 

[Zombie Hunter]

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft or SDO took them:

NASA - SDO Celebrates One Year Anniversary

I found a good non-alarmist site that lays out some of the facts:
http://www.universetoday.com/14645/2012-no-killer-solar-flare/

 

[slugger6]

Apparently this was much ado about very little.

 

[Zombie Hunter]

Apparently this was much ado about very little.

I don't think there was any to-do about this event, in the original article I even quoted where they said:

"It's nothing we really have to worry about," Young said in his video. "It's just really, really beautiful.""

I just thought it was an example of how the solar cycle is gearing up and for the next 2 years disruptions caused by flares hitting us staight on are a concern for me.

 

[john_bud]

This is an interesting article from NASA with information about the 1859 flare. Other reports list greater damage like melted telegraph wires, etc.

A Super Solar Flare - NASA Science

The greater the amount of electronics and the greater our reliance on them the greater the amount of damage a giant flare will cause. It's only a matter of time before one pops that is aimed at us.

Then again, the sun could drop back output equal to the "Maunder Minimum" resulting in a mini-ice age.

 

[Richard Conrad]

The Aura Borealis is produced by Solar Flares. The Earth is hit all the time by them. You can also see where Jupiter and Saturn produce Northern and Southren lights when hit by the flares.

 

[Zombie Hunter]

Then again, the sun could drop back output equal to the "Maunder Minimum" resulting in a mini-ice age.

Good thing I just got my 10 degree down sleeping bag!

Interesting fact, tree grow more slowly in the cold hence more rings and denser. A man named Stradivarius was born the year the Maunder Minimum began and so the trees he used as an adult to make his violens are believed to have helped make them superior!

 

[AKC]

Well I guess this explains the record breaking heat we are having here in TX.

Oh no wait. Maybe it's Global Warming and had nothing to do with the sun..

 

[john_bud]

Yeah, the sun has nothing to do with temperatures on earth. Cow farts have a far greater impact than the sun!

 

[Radio Relay]

Yeah, the sun has nothing to do with temperatures on earth. Cow farts have a far greater impact than the sun!

Especially when you light 'em ...