No no no, subby. You say that like this:
MASSIVE SOLAR FLARE WILL not DESTROY THE PLANET

How can a rogue planet four times the earths size be in the same orbital plane? Physics isn't a strong area of science for doomsayers apparently.

Here comes the sun, and I say it's all right.

So occasionally, the Sun has to barf a little.

Don't worry, folks. I have it on good authority that it is only going to kill 33 people.

If an atmospheric disturbance interrupted electricity and communications so people couldn't get on Facebook - there would be quite a few morons that seriously thought that counted as the end of the world... and wouldn't instantly post something to that effect once power and communications were restored!

i think the sun contributes to globel warming, maybe we should find away to cool it down.

(if the CME hit while the pacific was facing the sun, meh)
(wait, I dont really know how long a CME storm lasts. wait, they travel at 3million mph? and I doubt that they last more than an hour, so whatever)

The magnetic pulses and induced currents that would be responsible for taking down power systems in a world wide event - not just the solar facing side would be effected. The energy from a solar flare is collected and processed in the tail of our magnetosphere, and the currents run in a ring about the planet.

As for how long a CME storm lasts, 2-3 days to 2-3 weeks depending on the CME. (Explosions on the sun are BIG)

A superstorm like we had in 1859 would kill a lot of satellites and take 10 years off the lifetimes of the rest. Because the power systems are not designed to handle large DC pulses added to the system, it could also take down electrical grids and prevent them from being repaired for weeks. The chances of such a superstorm? very low.

mabe send a hose connected to a big baloon might work

megalynn44: TheMega: If an atmospheric disturbance interrupted electricity and communications so people couldn't get on Facebook - there would be quite a few morons that seriously thought that counted as the end of the world... and wouldn't instantly post something to that effect once power and communications were restored!

Yeah, no electricity for the entire country for several months is totally the same thing as not being able to facebook. Whiny babies

omfg it would be like 1859

there are still prople alive today that was born in 1899

We all know what REALLY is going to destroy the planet.

megalynn44: I thought the problem w the sun's activity is it sending a pulse that would kill our electric grid, not that it would bullseye us with a flaming spit ball.

And it would not be the "All humans would fall down dead because the lights were out for a day or so". Hell, the big blackout across the Great Lakes and New England several years ago would be about what we are talking about, and civilization did not end in firey armegeddon then. Even if it killed a million Americans, that is still 1/3% of the US, so I doubt we would be looking at total population implosion

Honestly the best bet for "end of the world from space" is a comet. They're very difficult to spot unless they're currently erupting/flaring/whatever. Granted, it would probably start showing up before it got here, but it might possibly be too late to do anything about it at that point.

hawcian: Honestly the best bet for "end of the world from space" is a comet. They're very difficult to spot unless they're currently erupting/flaring/whatever. Granted, it would probably start showing up before it got here, but it might possibly be too late to do anything about it at that point.

what could we do if we knew 10 years in advance?

haywatchthis: hawcian: Honestly the best bet for "end of the world from space" is a comet. They're very difficult to spot unless they're currently erupting/flaring/whatever. Granted, it would probably start showing up before it got here, but it might possibly be too late to do anything about it at that point.

what could we do if we knew 10 years in advance?

Go broke throwing money at NASA?

Harv72b: I hate eggnog.

I am aghast. Surely your aversion is because of some trauma in your youth and not because you actually don't enjoy the deliciousness that is brandy with some other stuff in it. Perhaps Richard Nixon made you lick it off his chest or something equally awful?

I'm currently in the bomb shelter business. if you're interested let me know.

haywatchthis: hawcian: Honestly the best bet for "end of the world from space" is a comet. They're very difficult to spot unless they're currently erupting/flaring/whatever. Granted, it would probably start showing up before it got here, but it might possibly be too late to do anything about it at that point.

what could we do if we knew 10 years in advance?

You would probably be killed by a fundamentalist LONG before the earth ended. Especially if doomsday was "delayed;" they would take it as a sign their holocaust was working.

tinfoil-hat maggie: Well we should be alright as long as we don't pass through the tail of a comet.
[t0.gstatic.com image 259x194]

/hot



/Hotter

ListenToMe: I'm currently in the bomb shelter business. if you're interested let me know.

will a sfe -T -shelter float?

Sorry. Not in the raft business.

This sounds like the right time to start preparing for the inevitable transition of the sun at the end of its current life..and probable last 8 minutes on earth..

NASA's predicting the future now?

/...Interesting.

what?

I am not a Limivore: NASA's predicting the future now?

They have been doing that for a while now (new window).

I thought the the prevailing dooms day theory was a pole shift, which would temporarily disrupt our planet's magnetic field and allowing a giant surge of solar radiation through. Why didn't NASA address that? Why did NASA say anything at all?

NotARocketScientist: (if the CME hit while the pacific was facing the sun, meh)
(wait, I dont really know how long a CME storm lasts. wait, they travel at 3million mph? and I doubt that they last more than an hour, so whatever)

The magnetic pulses and induced currents that would be responsible for taking down power systems in a world wide event - not just the solar facing side would be effected. The energy from a solar flare is collected and processed in the tail of our magnetosphere, and the currents run in a ring about the planet.

As for how long a CME storm lasts, 2-3 days to 2-3 weeks depending on the CME. (Explosions on the sun are BIG)

A superstorm like we had in 1859 would kill a lot of satellites and take 10 years off the lifetimes of the rest. Because the power systems are not designed to handle large DC pulses added to the system, it could also take down electrical grids and prevent them from being repaired for weeks. The chances of such a superstorm? very low.

I did some checking and it seems scientists estimate that such solar superstorms hit the Earth every 500 years on average. With the last one "just" 152 years ago, we aren't exactly past due,

Having said that, every 500 is incredibly frequent when compared with say, a major meteorite impact, a supervolcano eruption, or a gamma ray burst from a dangerous proximity. If we gamble and lose on this, it could be disastrous.

Harv72b: I hate eggnog.

have you only tried store-bought? maybe home-made will make a difference. when i was a boy my Uncle Morris 'made' eggnog with the equivalent of rocket fuel. every Christmas we had adults flat out on the floor, dressed in their holiday best, snoring as loud as a Christmas carol. tradition.

NotARocketScientist: (if the CME hit while the pacific was facing the sun, meh)
(wait, I dont really know how long a CME storm lasts. wait, they travel at 3million mph? and I doubt that they last more than an hour, so whatever)

The magnetic pulses and induced currents that would be responsible for taking down power systems in a world wide event - not just the solar facing side would be effected. The energy from a solar flare is collected and processed in the tail of our magnetosphere, and the currents run in a ring about the planet.

As for how long a CME storm lasts, 2-3 days to 2-3 weeks depending on the CME. (Explosions on the sun are BIG)

A superstorm like we had in 1859 would kill a lot of satellites and take 10 years off the lifetimes of the rest. Because the power systems are not designed to handle large DC pulses added to the system, it could also take down electrical grids and prevent them from being repaired for weeks. The chances of such a superstorm? very low.

Well, I'll take that with a grain of salt....you're not exactly a rocket scientist.

namatad: I love that they down play what would happen to civilization if a massive CME scored a direct hit on the earth. How many people would die if the western world took a direct hit and the electric grid was completely wiped out, say, during winter? A million?
(if the CME hit while the pacific was facing the sun, meh)
(wait, I dont really know how long a CME storm lasts. wait, they travel at 3million mph? and I doubt that they last more than an hour, so whatever)

stupid sun

Two words: Circuit breakers.

We can monitor incoming CMEs in real time (new window). The strength of the induced current is dependent on the length of the conductive pathway, so installing circuit breakers at intervals, with special attention to isolating vulnerable transformers, is a relatively cheap way to mitigate the damaging effects of a CME. NASA spots the CME 30 minutes out* and notifies the power companies. A few switches are thrown, and a potential catastrophe becomes a few inconveniences.

*subject to availability of funding

A MASSIVE SOLAR FLARE COULD KILL FARK.

Sleep tight.

namegoeshere: A MASSIVE SOLAR FLARE COULD KILL FARK.

Sleep tight.

After reading some of the posts in this thread, I can only respond thusly: good.

Evev though TA and headline say it's too early to panic, I do believe I shall brush up on my panicking skills. It is never too early, nor too late, to begin to panic.
/panic
//panicking slashies

If you want, you can have a text or voice message sent to you so you can use your smart phone anticipate the end of its operation(new window)