Solar Eruption Triggers Strongest Radiation Storm 62
ForgedArtificer writes "A recent eruption on the sun will be exposing Earth to the strongest radiation storm seen since 2005. [The storm] will potentially disrupt communications and put high-flyers at risk of radiation exposure." Says Spaceweather.com: "On the NOAA scale of radiation storms, this one ranks S3, which means it could, e.g., cause isolated reboots of computers onboard Earth-orbiting satellites and interfere with polar radio communications." According to the Christian Science Monitor, "NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a geomagnetic storm watch, and the agency's deputy, Kathy Sullivan, said that polar flights are expected to be re-routed."
Re:Oblig XKCD! (Score:5, Funny)
Sweet! (Score:4, Funny)
This is my big chance to gain my super powers and become the evil genius I've always wanted to be.
Re:Sweet! (Score:4, Insightful)
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Or you get cancer.
Or both... [wikipedia.org]
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This is my big chance to sell tinfoil hats to all the people who think that this won't be disappated by the atmosphere.
And I should point out that for those who make tinfoil hats themselves, they're probably using knockoff aluminum foil rather than tin foil, so they won't work as well.
If you think (Score:4, Funny)
If you think that all forms of radiation from the sun are absorbed by the atmosphere before they reach human beings on the surface, it must be very dark where you are. And cold.
Lethal UV radiation reaches us all the time...oh okay, I am dutch, 3 days of the year. Which is celebrated by exposing as much of our skins as is legal to it till it cries out in terror and reacts violently to the radiation.
Humans eh. no wonder we still haven't discovered slood.
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Which is celebrated by exposing as much of our skins as is legal to it till it cries out in terror and reacts violently to the radiation.
Uhhhh... You're Dutch. I thought complete exposure was legal in your country. You could expose your taint if it were not so impractical physically speaking.
I'm not a complaint either. Well it is.. depending on which one of you is getting naked.
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ISS (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:ISS (Score:5, Informative)
I suppose the people in the ISS qualify as "high flyers", but NASA says that will be no risk for them [huffingtonpost.com]
"On the International Space Station there is a special thick-walled room to which the astronauts have had to retreat during times of increased solar radiation." [rl.ac.uk]
I'm guessing they'll be using this. At least until they add a deflector dish to reroute main power through. ;-)
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Don't forget, to reroute main power they first need to reverse the polarity :)
Oh god no, you don't want to do that. It would act like a giant tractor beam and could pull the sun closer to the earth.
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Re:ISS (Score:5, Interesting)
If you're in space, you also get to enjoy flashes of light even with your eyes closed because of radiation interacting with your eye. I wonder if they stayed outside their protective room, if they would see a disco ball of light from the solar onslaught.
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/22oct_cataracts/ [nasa.gov]
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Re:ISS (Score:4, Interesting)
About time for another bad SF Movie (Score:4, Interesting)
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I know its been done before, but that has never stopped Hollywood...
What, another cautionary SF movie showing how digital piracy causes solar eruptions?
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Nonsense! You have the causality backwards. Solar eruptions cause software piracy!
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Look people. It has been proven that piracy directly affects the sun and reduces Global Warming. All hail His Noodlieness!!
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Don't you mean the siffi (syfy) channel?
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No, it's not. We literally have another storm within the same few days.
After this solar storm.. (Score:4, Funny)
We'll be able to more clearly see a disk, a black flap, and a scorpion.
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Only on Venus!
>> I figure it was just some ash as there is a lot of hot wind on Venus -- but sometimes it escapes as hot air!
If life is found -- I retract this comment.
Inevitable XKCD Placeholder (Score:2)
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here [xkcd.com]
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ready for this (Score:1)
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You need a solar flare for that? Well, *now* you tell me.
Misleading Headline (Score:3, Insightful)
Headline: Solar Eruption Triggers Strongest Radiation Storm
Oh wait... from the summary
A recent eruption on the sun will be exposing Earth to the strongest radiation storm seen since 2005.
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Headline: Solar Eruption Triggers Strongest Radiation Storm
Oh wait... from the summary
A recent eruption on the sun will be exposing Earth to the strongest radiation storm seen since 2005.
That means we've been on a dead, lifeless cinder for over (counts fingers and toes), 25 years!
Apologies Slashdot -- but this is about geeky fun as well.
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STRONGEST RADIATION STORM!!!! (Score:3, Insightful)
...since 2005.
Nice tabloiding, Slashdot.
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Not entirely my fault; I'm the one who wrote that headline and it cut off the last three words: "In Seven Years"
To be fair, I didn't think to check the title on the preview... on the other hand, can't think how I'd have shortened it.
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Perhaps:
"CME triggers strongest solar storm in 7 years"
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I bow to you, sir.
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...since 2005.
Nice tabloiding, Slashdot.
how does one tabloid to nerds? Hm, a paradox...
Which radio freq's will be most affected? (Score:2)
HF, VHF, UHF, SHF, or where, in [the radio portion of] the Electromagnetic Spectrum?
Maybe: All of the above?
Re:Which radio freq's will be most affected? (Score:5, Informative)
The reflection window will shift up (away from HF and towards UHF/VHF), meaning the lower frequencies will start to be absorbed while the higher ones start to reflect more (vs just refracting through)
The word from Power Central (Score:3)
Here's what the PJM Control Center (which controls the electricity grid for the Northeastern US) has to say:
74015 Solar Magnetic Disturbance Warning 01/23/2012
17:55 PJM - RTO As of 17:50 hours, an SMD warning of K-indices of 6-9 possible or greater is in effect beginning at 07:00 and will continue for the next 24-36 hours after arrival hours. PJM will issue any SMD events or extended warnings posted on the RCIS by MISO St. Paul via the PJM All-Call.
Additional Comments: NYISO has posted an RCIS message indicating expected intensity levels of K6 - K9, however, NOAA has only issued an alert of level K4. PJM will continue to monitor NOAA's alerts and update as necessary.
So PJM is aware of the problem, but they're not seeing any effects yet, and they haven't issued any contingency or emergency actions. The K scale is semi-logarithmic, and it's strange to see such a huge variation in predicted values. They can handle up to a K-7 without much problem, and a K-8 with preparation. A K-9 may cause real trouble.
Here's PJM's training presentation on solar storms. [pjm.com] The basic effect is that DC voltages are induced into transmission lines, which causes resistive heating in transformers (worst case, melting them, as happened in 1989). Where trouble occurs is affected by geology and ground conduction, and the trouble areas are known. There are preventive steps that can be taken. It's an interesting read, although if you're totally unfamiliar with where electricity comes from, you may need to go to the PJM training site and read "PJM 101" first.