NASA Confirms Solar Storm Near 2012

An anonymous reader writes "`This week researchers announced that a storm is coming — the most intense solar maximum in fifty years. The prediction comes from a team led by Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). "The next sunspot cycle will be 30% to 50% stronger than the previous one," she says. If correct, the years ahead could produce a burst of solar activity second only to the historic Solar Max of 1958.`

`Dikpati's forecast puts Solar Max at 2012. Hathaway believes it will arrive sooner, in 2010 or 2011.`

Anyone familiar with the Mayan Calendar? December 21, 2012 (13.0.0.0.0 in the Mayan Calendar) Coincidence?"

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December 21, 2012

[Anonymous Coward]

12/21/2012 12+21+20+12=65 !! That's how old Jesus would be if he was born in 1942!! COINCIDENCE??

Re:Apocalypse?

[Rob T Firefly]

You're just jealous because you haven't spent the past several years building a sacred Mesoamerican ball court [wikipedia.org] in your cornfield. If I build it they will come...

Re:Oh nooo!!!

[endianx]

Not true at all! This is just proof that mans impact on the environment extends throughout the solar system. It wasn't enough for us to mess up our own planet, now we have caused solar warming as well!

Anyone familiar with the Mayan Calendar?

[Peter Trepan]

Is it the one where all twelve are nude except for loincloths and headdresses?

Um... no, I'm not familiar with it.

We arranged this for the Olympics

[Anonymous Coward]

So that we'd have sunshine in London during the games. :-)

Re:Apocalypse?

[Anonymous Coward]

Would it really be such a bad thing, though? Just think: we wouldn't have to worry about the 32-bit timer on Unix systems overflowing in 2038!

Re:Second to 1958 activity

[Rooked_One]

like the millions of cell phones that millions of people base their lives on? Its times like these I really appriciate my little black PAPER book.

Re:Yes, you've found a coincidence. Yippee.

[Anonymous Coward]

December 21, 2012 (13.0.0.0.0 in the Mayan Calendar)

Noted. I'll be sure to eat mexican food on the 19th, and some german food on the 20th to make sure I have really bad gas on the 21st.

That way, if the world ends, I can take the credit because I was farting all day.

Re:Coincidence

[painQuin]

the ones you have to watch out for are the cultures whose calendars count down

Re:Umm, old news?

[NotQuiteReal]

News goes in a cycle.

This news will be repeated again and again, reaching DUPE MAX sometime just AFTER the SOLAR MAX predicted.

It is not, however, a harbinger for the end of dupes.

Re:Second to 1958 activity

[elrous0]

It was 1958. The powerplants shut down because all the plant workers had to get home to beat their wives, listen to Elvis records, and oppress black people.

It also probably didn't help that crazy scientists were sending lightening strikes directly into the power grid to help whiney punks get back to 1985.

Just in time...

[corpsmoderne]

... for the US elections

"65535 votes for X in this voting machine??? errr! Must be the solar storm..."

Re:Coincidence

[jrumney]

but somehow we can't understand there ever being more than one 2007.

There was another, 4014 years ago. What I can't figure out is how prehistoric man knew when Jesus was going to be born/die/be baptised or whatever event you believe led to the changeover, and how clever it was of him to count backwards.

Re:Insightful???

[Malakusen]

It answered both questions effectively and efficiently. I'm sufficiently impressed.

Re:Anyone familiar with the Mayan Calendar?

[Bandman]

Was it a dream where you see yourself standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?

Why am I the only one who has that dream?

next slashdot poll

[way2trivial]

which do yuo prefer to look at

aurorae/auroras

or

areolas?

We're not going to pass through the tail ...

[RembrandtX]

We're not going to pass through the tail of a comet are we ?
I mean .. solar storms I can handle, but those damn comet tails hold zombies.
Self preservation would make me hide out in a tin garden shed, or the back of my big-rig,
but really, the world is just doomed from that point on.

Re:Umm, old news?

[ehrichweiss]

You forgot the biggie: Can we relate this to Anna Nicole? Bring that out at the right moment and the story will reach record numbers of readers and it'll be covered forever. I only wish I were kidding.

Coincidence?

[Surt]

Anyone familiar with the Mayan Calendar? December 21, 2012 (13.0.0.0.0 in the Mayan Calendar) Coincidence?"

Nope, it's true every time.

Re:Oh nooo!!!

[Trailer Trash]

Not true at all! This is just proof that mans impact on the environment extends throughout the solar system. It wasn't enough for us to mess up our own planet, now we have caused solar warming as well!

"Man's impact"? Um, I think you mean "George W. Bush's impact". If he'd just sign Kyoto, the sun would instantly return to normal.