A Powerful Solar Storm Is Bringing Hazards and Rare Auroras Our Way (fastcompany.com) 72
tedlistens shares a report from Fast Company: The Space Weather Prediction Center has upgraded a geomagnetic storm watch for September 6 and 7 to a level only occasionally seen, but scientists say it's nothing to be too alarmed about. They do recommend looking for an unusual display of the aurora -- the northern lights caused by a disturbance of the magnetosphere -- in areas of the U.S. not used to seeing them: "really in the upper tier of the United States," says Robert Rutledge, lead of operations at the center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The storm could pose an "elevated radiation risk to passengers and crew in high-flying aircraft at far north or south latitudes," a NOAA warning says, and intermittently impact high frequency RF communications, which may require some transpolar flight routes to divert to lower geomagnetic latitudes (a shift that would cost the airlines more). There's a slim chance of isolated interfere with high-precision GPS readings, but those issues usually only tend to arise with stronger storms.
The so-called G3 level storm is the result of what's called a coronal mass ejection, where magnetic interactions on the sun launch part of its outer atmosphere of superheated plasma into space. When that burst of radiation gets near earth -- barreling toward us at a million miles per hour, it takes about two days to make the journey -- its magnetic field interacts with Earth's, Rutledge says. Northern U.S. and Canadian residents hoping to catch a glimpse of the aurora will get their best shot on Wednesday night and early Thursday, and the Space Weather Prediction Center posts 30-minute forecasts of the colorful sky phenomenon's intensity.
The so-called G3 level storm is the result of what's called a coronal mass ejection, where magnetic interactions on the sun launch part of its outer atmosphere of superheated plasma into space. When that burst of radiation gets near earth -- barreling toward us at a million miles per hour, it takes about two days to make the journey -- its magnetic field interacts with Earth's, Rutledge says. Northern U.S. and Canadian residents hoping to catch a glimpse of the aurora will get their best shot on Wednesday night and early Thursday, and the Space Weather Prediction Center posts 30-minute forecasts of the colorful sky phenomenon's intensity.
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No, I did not. [cdn.meme.am]
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You all fail.
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This is correct; the moon is full and it'll be up all night in the USA. This will reduce the visibility of any aurora to your eye by interfering with your night vision (your pupils won't dilate enough), and when there's any particulate matter in the air (smoke, as the AC mentions, but also water vapor, etc.) this creates illumination in the atmosphere that further reduces your ability to see anything by creating a "bright sky."
There are auroras intense enough to get past all of this, but the odds against th
DON'T PANIC! (Score:2)
Every time I heard/read warnings of solar storms and their effects in the end it was kind of a non-event.
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Every time I heard/read warnings of solar storms and their effects in the end it was kind of a non-event.
Apparently, you don't get your internet access wirelessly. I have connection problems during pretty much every major solar storm, indeed far more than I do during regular storms.
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Every time I heard/read warnings of solar storms and their effects in the end it was kind of a non-event.
Apparently, you don't get your internet access wirelessly. I have connection problems during pretty much every major solar storm, indeed far more than I do during regular storms.
You might want to re-analyze your data or look at the outside connection being the culprit. Your wireless doesn't operate in a band affected by geomagnetic storms that aren't severe enough to destroy the power grid. Only HF bands are affected and it's predictable and repetitive. Anyone who listens to WWV on 2.5-5MHz can experience it, but only barely, and even that's not as bad as lower bands. Your wireless operates on a MUUUUCCCHHH higher 2400MHz or 5000-5800MHz. The wavelength is much shorter, has le
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Re:DON'T PANIC! (Score:4, Interesting)
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/ea... [nasa.gov]
Let's see. . . in the past month, we've had. . . . (Score:5, Funny)
. . . two major hurricanes, Lil' Kim threatening to deliver "gift packages", domestic unrest to the point of rioting in some places, and now this.
I halfway expect Godzilla to emerge from Tokyo Bay, at this rate (grin)
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hmm. Never mentioned Globull Wormening. Just noting that it's gotten unusually wierd out there, lately. . . .
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Worming the bright Red Bull? What has it come to these days??
Car guy here. (Score:2)
I halfway expect Godzilla to emerge from Tokyo Bay, at this rate (grin)
Picturing a Nissan GTR being dragged up from Tokyo harbour.
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<p>Picturing a Nissan GTR being dragged up from Tokyo harbour.</p></quote>
Thank you. I got the day's necessary healthy laugh from that. You rule!
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Why don't they just say 'Alaska'? (Score:2)
Because as best I can tell from the linked prediction animation, you need to be in Alaska to have a hope of seeing this, because all the other states are at least 4 degrees too far south.
And Canada doesn't have a hell of a lot of people living north of James Bay, either.
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The predictions are 30 minutes forecasts, so its likely the storm hasn't hit the L1 point used for generating the 30 minute predictions yet. The animation is the last couple of days, not a projection.
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1. Thank you.
2. I should comically smack myself in the forehead while saying "Do'h!" for missing that.
Re:Why don't they just say 'Alaska'? (Score:5, Informative)
OK, so I found the experimental 3 day forecast:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/produ... [noaa.gov]
It looks like I might have actually seen something... if my region wasn't also predicted to be blanketed with rain clouds and the occasional thunderstorm through to the weekend. :(
Light pollution (Score:2)
You'd also need to be away from big settlement so the light pollution doesn't completely over flood the auroras.
Smoke (Score:2)
Here in the Pacific Northwest. I had a thin layer of ash on my car again this morning.
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Here in the Pacific Northwest. I had a thin layer of ash on my car again this morning.
What? I can't hear you!?! You had a light coating of ash on par this morning?? WHA? :)
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In July the Auroras were visible as far south as Colorado I believe so it is possible for quite a bit of the US to see Auroras. Though an event like that doesn't come along very often but there is a chance any major Aurora event could appear further south than usual.
Re: Natures Tribute to TRUMP! (Score:2)
Trump should visit the Sun and tell it how great he is.
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Trump should visit the Sun and push it aside to make it know how great he is.
I think your fingers slipped. I tidied it up a bit for ya. You're welcome.
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More coming? (Score:5, Interesting)
There have been two X class solar flares today, and the second was X9, which is the biggest of this solar cycle. So there may be more geomagnetic storms coming over the next few days.
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The sunspots are near the solar equator and thus belong to the old cycle, not a new one.
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Humans have had such an impact with global warming and stuff that things like this happen. Look at the solar minimum releasing more radiation than expected... Damn Humans for making these things happen!
Sorry, had to.
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If you're being serious, think about physics for a second. The magnetic loops in the areas that might blow again aren't pointed toward us anymore due to rotation and orbiting. I think we're good, man. All good, yo.
Stay inside (Score:2)
Joke. (Score:2)
"Oh, nos! It's happening again! I'll lose productivity at work because of failures in all of my electronic equipment. My car won't start. I feel cancer developing in my brain right now. I can't use my oven at home!
The fact that I'm watching movies at work over my wireless provider connection is different because that isn't affected for some reason... and my air conditioning somehow still works. The fridge is fine. Those I can't explain, but everything else in my life is torn apart!!!
*posts to Faceboo