[Bilbo Bagins]

Its a big one, facing us this time.

Maybe nothing, but if not you may want to have that power outage kit handy.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/...giant-sunspot/

[wjv]

It's Coronal mass ejection that we have to worry about. Not solar flares.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection

[Bilbo Bagins]

Originally Posted by wjv

It's Coronal mass ejection that we have to worry about. Not solar flares.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection

The solar flare by itself is not the problem, but it is the CME that comes with it.

Figure the Solar Flare is the Muzzle Blast from the gun. The CME is the Bullet.

When you see news of a X-class solar flare facing earth's direction take note, because about 2 days later the CME will hit earth.

Depending on the polarity, it will either wrap around earths Magnetic field, give some crazy northern light, and maybe screw up some satellite communications.

If the polarity is the other way, we could have massive communication problems and power grid failures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_flare

[kirgi08]

It will mess up our work comms and make it a real pita.'08.

[Angry Fist]

Where's muh sunscreen?

[Babynine]

Anyone notice warmer weather after these events? Back in March when two or three x-class flares came in, we had near record temps in the mid 80's here in Wisconsin. Before that, in January we had a big Earth directed flare, and we had temps in the mid 50's in January.

We are also having a record drought here in Southern Wisconsin, and the last year I remember it being this hot and dry was 1988....also a big solar year if I am correct.

[cowboy1964]

[G29Reload]

[QUOTE=Bilbo Bagins;19192159]
Depending on the polarity,

Um…No.

[Bilbo Bagins]

Originally Posted by Bilbo Bagins

Depending on the polarity,

Originally Posted by G29Reload

Um…No.

Um...yes..

All CME can cause issues with radiation exposure and communications issues to astronauts in space and satellites, but not all CME can cause issues with us on earth. Only those with a southward/negative polarity ( the z component) are the bad ones that interfere with Earth's protective magnetic field.

Required reading, you can skip the first 5 paragraphs if its too heady.

http://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/nicky/cme-chase.html


Read - Interactions with planetary processes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_storm

[pugman]

Originally Posted by Babynine

Anyone notice warmer weather after these events? Back in March when two or three x-class flares came in, we had near record temps in the mid 80's here in Wisconsin. Before that, in January we had a big Earth directed flare, and we had temps in the mid 50's in January.

We are also having a record drought here in Southern Wisconsin, and the last year I remember it being this hot and dry was 1988....also a big solar year if I am correct.

Howdy to a fellow Southern Wisconsinite! Dry is an understatement.

Per weather.com this is only the 6th solar flare of the year...don't think we can count these singular events as the reason for our unbelievably mild winter and dry weather.

Remember, the summers of 2008-2010 were some of the three wettest consecutive years on record.

As I tell my friends and family..forget global warming or cooling...what about global drying? If we had three summers like this in a row food prices would probably permanently double.

Not a golfer but friends were raving about the time they got in this spring - talking a different tune now. Courses are burned out and its too hot to chase a little white ball now...

[G29Reload]

Originally Posted by Bilbo Bagins

Um...yes..


http://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/nicky/cme-chase.html

Um, no.

The word polarity does not even appear in the article. You're making this up or misusing the term.

[AK_Stick]

When the z component is positive, this corresponds to a northward field, which has little or no effect on the Earth. When the z component is negative, however, this corresponds to a southward field. When the interplanetary magnetic field is southward, it opposes the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field. In the same way that the different poles of a bar magnet attract (in contrast to like poles repelling), an interaction between the two magnetic fields will occur, allowing the energy from the solar wind to enter the Earth’s protective shield – the magnetosphere. It is clear from the above plot of the interplanetary magnetic field for January 9-11, 1997, that the z-component was first negative, southward, and slowly turned northward throughout the event. This means that it had an effect on the Earth – it was "geoeffective".

polarity (p-lr-t)
The condition of having poles or being aligned with or directed toward poles, especially magnetic or electric poles.

I don't claim to know much, but seems to me, he's correct.

[Bravo 1]

While it doesn't specifically use the word polarity,,,it clearly describes it.

[TangoFoxtrot]

Originally Posted by cowboy1964

Thats what I say. Nothing we can do about it anyways.

[Bravo 1]

Originally Posted by TangoFoxtrot

Thats what I say. Nothing we can do about it anyways.

Well, you can prepare for certain after-effects due to a grid collapse.

That's part of survival-preparedness.

[Bilbo Bagins]

Originally Posted by Bravo 1

While it doesn't specifically use the word polarity,,,it clearly describes it.

Now I do to go knock on my neighbor's door.

Penny??...knock, knock, knock.
Penny??...knock, knock, knock.
Penny??...knock, knock, knock.

[kirgi08]

Well played.'08.

[Bravo 1]

Originally Posted by Bilbo Bagins

Now I do to go knock on my neighbor's door.

Penny??...knock, knock, knock.
Penny??...knock, knock, knock.
Penny??...knock, knock, knock.

Love that show,,,

[BR549]

Originally Posted by kirgi08

It will mess up our work comms and make it a real pita.'08.

Did it cause any comms problems for youse?

[Big Bird]

Solar activity is berry berry good for Ham radio... Get that atmosphere all ionized and charged up... then go bouncing signals off the atmosphere... Talk all over the world like that.

[racerford]

Are we dead yet?

[Warp]

All is normal in the S/P section.

[benjaminblake]

Take it easy! Nothing's gonna happen. Its just a routine astronomical phenomenon. Solar flares are bombarding the earth since ages and will continue later too. You wont face human extinction.

[TangoFoxtrot]

Never say never. We are not the superior species that will inhabit the earth forever.