| uujudy |
07-19-2012 11:03 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptJohn
(Post 524773)
Could be. There been something on the news about that lately.
|
You betcha! And today we almost had another X-class flare. :22yikes:
"EARTH-DIRECTED X-FLARE: Big sunspot AR1520 erupted on July 12th around 16:53 UT, producing an X-class solar flare and hurling a CME directly toward Earth. Forecasters expect the cloud to arrive on July 14th. Its impact could spark moderate to severe geomagnetic storms, allowing auroras to be seen at lower latitudes than usual. Check SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids for more information and updates."
And then today. "Sunspot complex AR1520-1521 erupted again on July 19th, this time producing an M7-class solar flare that almost crossed the threshold into X-territory. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash. The explosion produced a bright coronal mass ejection. The cloud should miss Earth. (They said 'should')
"Although the explosion occured on the other side of the sun's western limb, our planet could feel some effects. The blast site is magnetically connected to Earth by backward-spiralling lines of magnetic force. Protons accelerated by the flare are being guided to us by those lines of magnetism, and a mild radiation storm is underway."
Get out the tinfoil hats and the do hickeys. :p |
