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Scientists: 'Huge Space Storm' Will Cause Devastation

srangara said:
Nope.
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But still somewhat "yes". Where the spots exactly happen is not deterministic. So even if there is increased activity, that doesn't mean we will see any of it. No different that the conditions being right for hurricanes but they never happen.
 
Build underground nuke shelters with massive EMP shielding. Store all your pr0n and music in there with your puter parts.
 
If a massive CME hits us like in the 1800's we're boned. Just about anything that relies on electricity will be screwed since it could cause major damage to a power grid and fry most electronics. The only thing is it's almost impossible to predict. At best we'd get a few hours warming, but probably much less. It would also take a near direct hit from the CME to have these catastrophic effects. If I remember correctly about one major CME happens every few hundred years. Most of the time it's just a nuisance; since it's usually only powerful enough to cause disruptions in satellites, communications and power services in northern parts of the world. Not fry most of the power grid and destroy electronics on the ground.
 
Torquemada XP said:
There will be a lot of sarcastic replies to this story, but don't take it lightly.

It isn't "end of the world", but massive disruption to our daily lives WILL occur should these storms have the effect NASA predicts.

All the better to have a bit of "survival" in you ahead of time.
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^^^ This. It's also possible low-earth orbit satellites can drop out of the sky as the gasses in the upper atmosphere expand from the slight heating effect. And the worst case scenario storm has hit the earth before in the 1800s. However, it's impact was rather null since we didn't have electronics back then. If that same storm hit today millions of people would die as a result of our dependence on electronics and the disruptions that would be created. The entire power grid could effectively melt down and it'd take months if not years for country to recover. Other smaller nations would be stuck at horse & buggy level of tech for even longer.
 
So, the takeaway from this: Have a shed in your backyard with no electronics in it with lots of stored nonperishable food and water. While the storm itself may not do much damage (other than killing all our electronics...) the rioting and panic that follows will.

I'd much rather have a supply and not need it, than have no supply and end up needing it.
 
US Military Equipment is already EMP proof, US is going to be in a deep financial crises by then and are going to use this as an opportunity to invade countries with more resources. It will be called operation Blackout:p

And no one here is going to give a fuck, well except those from other countries on here, I welcome you as loyal subjects of the Greater American Empire (flag will be a blacked out sun where the 50 stars use to be). For some reason I feel all warm and fuzzy, I gotta go get me citizenship.
 
So... now we're gonna be hit by another planet, Aliens will invade, the Earth will flip over, AND a space storm will hit us?

Mmmmkay.
 
god dammit, I'm not even married yet! grrr...

We need to friggin dig up our stargate and dial to the 9th chevron or another planet at least...or we need to turn on Earth's shields! Oh well, if the world becomes chaotic after this, it was nice to live a decent life. :)
 
Not even that much is really necessary. Realistically if we catch a CME satellites and distributed networks will be at risk. Don't depend on anything radio based and there may be an interruption in the power grid. Anything turned off should be fine, unplugged is even better.

Of course, if we catch a severe CME it could strip parts of the atmosphere - ionosphere, ozone layer, but at that point we're fucked and won't really give a shit if we can't buy crap on Amazon.
 
The previous coats of lead paint will protect my stuff, and thank Hovis I don't live in Britain anymore.
 
Yiffy said:
I remember reading about something like this happening in 1859 around autumn when a CME hit earth. The most complicated electronic stuff that existed then was the telegraph network and even it was damaged.

Woot found it:

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2008/06may_carringtonflare/
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Even when telegraphers disconnected the batteries powering the lines, aurora-induced electric currents in the wires still allowed messages to be transmitted.
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Holy heck. Maybe we won't lose power after all, lol.

I think it's time to start a business selling lead computer cases. Or at least figure out how to protect my own...
 
swiftB3 said:
Holy heck. Maybe we won't lose power after all, lol.

I think it's time to start a business selling lead computer cases. Or at least figure out how to protect my own...
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The problem is this would blow out the utility scale transformers if the power isn't switched off before it hits and it could take several years to replace them; since their production is costly, slow, and complex.
 
Azhar said:
Quick! Everyone print their porn collections!!
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You know EM shielding isn't that hard to make, you can even buy computer cases with it. I remember some of the most basic forms are just chicken wire with a car battery. Your computers are safe as long as you take proper precautions.
 
Trepidati0n said:
But still somewhat "yes". Where the spots exactly happen is not deterministic. So even if there is increased activity, that doesn't mean we will see any of it. No different that the conditions being right for hurricanes but they never happen.
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It doesn't matter. The Sun is a 0.5 degree point of light 500 light-seconds away from us. No matter how hurricane-like sunspots are, they only have to be somewhere on that facing disk to affect us. Nothing between there and our atmosphere mitigates a burst of solar radiation.

There aren't nearly the number of relevant variables to predicing solar activity as their are for hurricane behaviour. That's why current models can produce graphs like this:
http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2006/sunspot.shtml

Maybe you can't predict exactly when an event will happen. It's hard to dispute that it will happen during the next cycle. I'd sooner bet on how long I can walk in a rainstorm before getting wet.
 
RangerXML said:
You know EM shielding isn't that hard to make, you can even buy computer cases with it. I remember some of the most basic forms are just chicken wire with a car battery. Your computers are safe as long as you take proper precautions.
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Yep, better known as the Faraday Cage. Works quite well even in the event of a nuclear attack and EMP burst.
 
AFAIK nothing is at risk if it is turned off, correct? If we can predict the exact date this event will occur, I wonder if the government will have the balls to turn off the power grid until it passes. Yes, even that would be very damaging, but all of our electronics not working for a day is much better than all of our electronics breaking permanently.
 
HOCP4ME said:
AFAIK nothing is at risk if it is turned off, correct? If we can predict the exact date this event will occur, I wonder if the government will have the balls to turn off the power grid until it passes. Yes, even that would be very damaging, but all of our electronics not working for a day is much better than all of our electronics breaking permanently.
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No,
Off or not, shazaam.
 
Yup, any integrated circuit is turned into a tiny antenna and will go poof, with or with out power.
 
I don't think anyone has read it...

They even admitted that this is highly unlikely, the worst we could expect is a couple hours of downtime in northern Europe.
 
wtiger said:
The problem is this would blow out the utility scale transformers if the power isn't switched off before it hits and it could take several years to replace them; since their production is costly, slow, and complex.
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No doubt. That was mostly a joke to emphasize the crazy amount of EM interference there is potential for. :) Global auroras are pretty impressive, too.

I am certain if we got hit by a similar scale flare, we would be one hurting first-world for awhile.:(
 
TexUs said:
I don't think anyone has read it...

They even admitted that this is highly unlikely, the worst we could expect is a couple hours of downtime in northern Europe.
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I'm going to guess localized news-media, rather than localized flare effects. I'd like to see a solar flare many, many times wider than Earth effect only one small part of the planet. Not to mention the Earth spinning.
This bad boy doesn't really look laser accurate.

How bad the effects will be is debatable, but it will effect everyone.
 
srangara said:
It doesn't matter. The Sun is a 0.5 degree point of light 500 light-seconds away from us. No matter how hurricane-like sunspots are, they only have to be somewhere on that facing disk to affect us. Nothing between there and our atmosphere mitigates a burst of solar radiation.

There aren't nearly the number of relevant variables to predicing solar activity as their are for hurricane behaviour. That's why current models can produce graphs like this:
http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2006/sunspot.shtml

Maybe you can't predict exactly when an event will happen. It's hard to dispute that it will happen during the next cycle. I'd sooner bet on how long I can walk in a rainstorm before getting wet.
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hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Our magnetosphere mitigates bursts of solar radiation. It's only when the Sun overwhelms our magnetosphere that we have to worry about it (well besides satelites.) Sun spots are not 'the problem', flares can be, coronal mass ejections certainly can be. I believe those are directional based on how the magnetic lines snap. We generally have to be in the crosshairs for it to have EMP levels of problems. Also, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37705466/ns/technology_and_science-space you have the other side of science's mouth saying it'll be calm this cycle. Or super duper / ice age calm http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080611-sunspot-activity.html
 
"Power companies which operate long transmission lines (many kilometers in length) are thus subject to damage by this effect. Notably, this chiefly includes operators in China, North America, and Australia; the European grid consists mainly of shorter transmission cables, which are less vulnerable to damage" - Wikipedia article on Geomagnetic Storms

Seems to contradict the whole European vunerability thing.
 
Some tree hugging quack that lost funding for Global Warming scam research is now search for another way to get funding... Plus NASA wants its budget back.
 
Todd_a said:
Some tree hugging quack that lost funding for Global Warming scam research is now search for another way to get funding... Plus NASA wants its budget back.
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Yes, global warming is a myth; all the scientists in the world are engaged in a conspiracy, I swear I saw it on Fox News right after the reports on how Obama is a Kenyan Muslim Satanist demon.
 
Matrices said:
Yes, global warming is a myth;
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It is... There's a reason why all the leading "experts" on it have refused any public forum to debate it. It's pseudo-science and nothing more.

But I do agree with him. When I first heard about this, I thought that it sounded like NASA was trying to make itself relevant again, not much else.
 
At least the science does have a use in practical computer overclocking :D

Spread spectrum radio interference is a problem. In order to squeeze the last few Mhz of stability out of a computer, it is possible to line the insides of the case with EMI/RFI absorbing materials.

Some motherboards even have a "spread spectrum" setting, where the clock is varibly slowed to not create constructive interference.

Although its pretty obsessive if you are going to go that far. A few degrees of cooling will probably do the same.
 
Eagle156 said:
is my pr0nz going to be safe?
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You'll have to print off every frame so that when our governments offer us free money to replace our damaged equipment, you can get a new computer and scan each page back in and reassemble the videos.
 
It appears that here there is going to be "a" blackout of sorts, but don't they happen occasionally anyway? I had a torch with me somewhere.
 
bh192012 said:
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Our magnetosphere mitigates bursts of solar radiation. It's only when the Sun overwhelms our magnetosphere that we have to worry about it (well besides satelites.) Sun spots are not 'the problem', flares can be, coronal mass ejections certainly can be. I believe those are directional based on how the magnetic lines snap. We generally have to be in the crosshairs for it to have EMP levels of problems. Also, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37705466/ns/technology_and_science-space you have the other side of science's mouth saying it'll be calm this cycle. Or super duper / ice age calm http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080611-sunspot-activity.html
Click to expand...
True, it is the satellites that are of most concern, but we've never been so dependent on electronics on the ground during peak activity. At least the auroras should be nice.

Sunspots and flares are likely related. E.g. http://physics.lakeheadu.ca/courses/Astro/2330/Sun/Suns.htm
Since Prominences are shaped like magnetic field lines and usually originate and terminate at sunspots, the evidence is very strong that they are ionized gases trapped by magnetic fields.

Prominences can last from a few hours to a few weeks.

A solar flare is a violent eruption on the photosphere that rises to a maximum in a few minutes and lasts for one hour or less.

Flares release huge quantities of radiation and charged particles into the solar wind.

A large flare can release as much energy as 100 million hydrogen bombs.

Flares are believed to be due to magnetic activity since they always originate near large groups of sunspots
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TexUs said:
It is... There's a reason why all the leading "experts" on it have refused any public forum to debate it.
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Because it's monumental waste of time? Because the same people keep asking for the same information over and over again? Nah, global conspiracy is funner. Yes, funner.
 
A week from now, Apple will introduce the latest iPhone and iPad...with solar flare insulation!!!!
 
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