# Solar Flareup??



## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

I just heard on the radio that the sun had a massive solar flare that should hit here tomorrow or Friday?? Does anyone have any more info??


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I also heard the initial report, but, according to early reports, the flare is not headed directly towards the earth, but, they will be updating details as they become known ..



> "First-look data from Stereo-B are not sufficient to determine if the cloud is heading for Earth," astronomer Tony Phillips wrote on his website Spaceweather.com, which monitors space weather events. "Our best guess is 'probably, yes, but not directly toward Earth.' A glancing blow to our planet's magnetosphere is possible on March 8th or 9th."


http://www.space.com/14811-huge-solar-flares-erupt-sun.html


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Heard the same on NBC this a.m. We monitor radio traffic for the road dept and first responders as well as the sheriff's office and yesterday there was so much static we could hardly commincate. I would imagine it will be worse with this solar storm.


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## Claymore5150 (Nov 17, 2011)

From the Red Alert site at 
http://redalertes.com/EmergencyAlerts.aspx

ALERT: Proton Event 10MeV Integral Flux exceeded 1000pfu

Space Weather Message Code: ALTPX3
Serial Number: 25
Issue Time: 2012 Mar 07 1417 UTC

ALERT: Proton Event 10MeV Integral Flux exceeded 1000pfu
Begin Time: 2012 Mar 07 1410 UTC
NOAA Scale: S3 - Strong
Potential Impacts: Radiation - Passengers and crew in high latitude, high altitude flights may experience increasing radiation exposures. Astronauts on EVA (extra-vehicular activity) are exposed to elevated radiation levels.
Spacecraft - Single-event upsets to satellite operations, noise in imaging systems, and slight reduction of efficiency in solar panels are likely.
Radio - Degraded or episodically blacked-out polar HF (high frequency) radio propagation.
ALERT: Proton Event 10MeV Integral Flux exceeded 100pfu

Space Weather Message Code: ALTPX2
Serial Number: 49
Issue Time: 2012 Mar 07 1022 UTC

ALERT: Proton Event 10MeV Integral Flux exceeded 100pfu
Begin Time: 2012 Mar 07 1015 UTC
NOAA Scale: S2 - Moderate
Potential Impacts: Radiation - Passengers and crew in high latitude, high altitude flights may experience small, increased radiation exposures.
Spacecraft - Infrequent single-event upsets to satellites are possible.
Radio - Small effects on polar HF (high frequency) propagation resulting in fades at lower frequencies.


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## oldvet (Jun 29, 2010)

Claymore5150 said:


> From the Red Alert site at
> http://redalertes.com/EmergencyAlerts.aspx
> 
> ALERT: Proton Event 10MeV Integral Flux exceeded 1000pfu
> ...


Well Hell there goes my Space Shuttle ride along.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

When I opened up my homepage, there was a news article about looking for aurora lights tonight or tomorrow (I'm in southern Ohio - we don't typically see them here).


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

spaceweather.com or the NOAA space weather prediction site. both sites I check out often..very informative sites. This flare is the largest in like 5 years...cool!
timing seems interesting tho..humm...


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

Thanks for the info guys. I'm at work and can't web navigate. Oh well, if this flare emp pulses my truck at least the 4 dollar gas won't hurt as bad!!


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## neil-v1 (Jan 22, 2010)

To follow is the story that was on my webs home page. It was the Yahoo home page.

*A giant blast of plasma spat from the sun at as much as 4 million miles per hour Tuesday -- by some measures the largest solar event since late 2006 -- and it could lead to serious issues on Earth, forcing some planes to reroute, knocking out power grids, and blacking out radios.

The sun unleashed the cosmic double whammy late March 6, erupting with two major flares to cap a busy day of powerful solar storms, Space.com reported. One of the flares is the most powerful solar eruption so far this year.

"Super Tuesday? You bet!" joked Joseph Kunches, a space weather scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Both of the huge flares ranked as X-class storms, the strongest type of solar flares the sun can have. They followed several weaker, but still powerful, sun storms on Tuesday and came just days after another major solar flare on Sunday night.

"By some measures this is the strongest one since December of 2006," Kunches explained. Solar activity has already led to an R3 level radio blackout on NOAA's space weather scale, he explained, a midstrength event on a scale that reaches to R5. Such effects are caused by X-ray emissions from the sun.

The bigger effects will hit the planet over the next 24 hours.

"Power grid operators have all been alerted."
- Joseph Kunches, NOAA space weather scientist

For one thing, geomagnetic storms -- disturbances in the geomagnetic field that surrounds the planet -- should hit the G3 level, midway up the scale. That could lead to surges in power lines (a major problem for power companies) and issues with satellites.

"Power grid operators have all been alerted, as well as the regulatory agencies that all pay attention to this," Kunches said.

GPS users will also be affected because of the highly charged atmosphere; it's very possible that certain types of applications will be interrupted, specifically highly precise calculations and the high-frequency communications that airplanes rely upon.

Indeed, some polar flights have already been affected, he said.

"Some have already taken action to reroute to ensure their [high-frequency communication]," Kunches said.

Solar radiation storms could reach as high as S4, he noted, which could cause astronauts on the International Space Station to seek shelter from the heightened radiation levels associated with such a storm.

These effects should last about 24 hours, probably lingering overnight into the early morning hours on Friday, pending another eruption -- "and we think there will be more coming," Kunches said.

The upside? Some areas may experience a wonderful display of the Northern Lights.

"It's the treat that we get when the sun erupts," he said.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012...ather-on-earth/?intcmp=features#ixzz1oSnEzJNq*


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## AlabamaGal (Dec 27, 2011)

NASA has downgraded the risk to moderate from severe.

It's supposed to peak about 10-11pm tonight... but the report I received did not mention a time zone. Perhaps Central time?


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

*Solar Storm in 2020*

On a related note, scientists expect a major solar storm in 2020. If you want to learn more just google "Solar storm in 2020", and then google Carrington Event, to learn about the solar storm in 1859. Telegraph wires actually melted and thousands of fires were started. This was in 1859. Can our electronics/power grid/etc. withstand such a storm? The scientists say this coming storm will be stronger. Do you have faith that the megacorps and governments can get ready for this? I don't.

It's expected to hit in 2020, some say there's a one in eight chance that it will hit the Earth. Here's an interesting article about what effects a powerful solar storm would have today.



> In 1859, such reports were mostly curiosities. But if something similar happened today, the world's high-tech infrastructure could grind to a halt.
> 
> "What's at stake," the Space Weather Prediction Center's Bogdan said, "are the advanced technologies that underlie virtually every aspect of our lives."


As far as I'm concerned this doesn't change things for me, just keep on prepping.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

AlabamaGal said:


> NASA has downgraded the risk to moderate from severe.
> 
> It's supposed to peak about 10-11pm tonight... but the report I received did not mention a time zone. Perhaps Central time?


I'm pretty certain all times are GMT for all gov sites unless otherwise specified... :dunno:


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## AlabamaGal (Dec 27, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> I'm pretty certain all times are GMT for all gov sites unless otherwise specified... :dunno:


Just checked -- it was CST, but it's been revised a bit. For most of us in the US, we're talking about the wee hours tonight.

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/forecast.html



> Geophysical Activity Forecast: The geomagnetic field is
> expected to be active initially on day 1 (08 March) but is expected
> to increase to major storm levels with a likelihood for isolated
> severe storm levels after the arrival of the CME from todays
> ...


(And those times at the link *are* in Zulu)


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

and we are expecting 90 percent chance of rain.


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## AlabamaGal (Dec 27, 2011)

We're not out the woods totally yet, but so far it's been a whimper. 

And I *still* didn't get to see the aurora borealis even though I got up to look. I think the one we got a few months ago was probably my one shot and I missed it.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

AG - You might be able to start to see it in about 2hrs time from right now. Shortly I'll be heading out to my back-deck to see if they are glowing around here ...


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## OHprepper (Feb 21, 2012)

goshengirl said:


> When I opened up my homepage, there was a news article about looking for aurora lights tonight or tomorrow (I'm in southern Ohio - we don't typically see them here).


i heard the same thing. i live outside athens. nice to know there are more preppers close by.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

I slept with the curtains open on the north side of my bedroom. Clear sky all night, no Northern Lights, even here in NW Montana.


Maybe tonight.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I didn't notice anything as well - could have been due to the slight cloud-cover, but, I have seen northern lights even with minor cloud-cover before ...


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

Friend's wife is up in AK for the race... she said they were barely visible


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## Kellog (Mar 3, 2012)

*Update: Round Two*

from: http://spaceweather.com/
ANOTHER CME IS HEADING FOR EARTH: Sunspot AR1429 has unleashed another strong solar flare, an M6-class eruption on March 9th at 0358 UT. The blast hurled a coronal mass ejection directly toward Earth. According to analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, the cloud will arrive on March 11th at 0649 UT (+/- 7 hr) adding to the geomagnetic unrest already underway.


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## AlabamaGal (Dec 27, 2011)

Nary a flicker of light although I did see some awesome pictures people in northern latitudes took.

It got a little rough today but there are no damage reports as of yet. The latest CME isn't expected to be a problem for the grid.


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

Funny things been happenin with the cell service in my area today.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

It is supposed to arrive on March 11


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## Kellog (Mar 3, 2012)

*10% chance of X-class flares; 70% M-class flares*

From Spaceweather.com:
_4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS: Chances of an X-flare today are increasing as sunspot AR1515 develops a 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for the most powerful explosions. The sunspot's magnetic canopy is crackling with almost-X class flares, the strongest so far being an M5-flare at 09:54 UT. Each "crackle" releases more energy than a billion atomic bombs, so these are 4th of July fireworks indeed.

The sunspot itself is huge, stretching more than 100,000 km (8 Earth-diameters) from end to end. This movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the behemoth growing and turning toward Earth over the past five days:_ http://spaceweather.com/
_If any major eruptions do occur today, they will certainly be Earth-directed. The sunspot is directly facing our planet, so it is in position to cause radio blackouts, sudden ionospheric disturbances, and geomagnetic storms._


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