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UPDATED 'Incoming!'
Posted : 4 Aug, 2011 08:31 AM

"STRONG SOLAR ACTIVITY: For the third day in a row, active sunspot 1261 has unleashed a significant M-class solar flare. The latest blast at 0357 UT on August 4th registered M9.3 on the Richter Scale of Flares, almost crossing the threshold into X-territory (X-flares are the most powerful kind). The number of energetic protons around Earth has jumped nearly 100-fold as a result of this event.

The eruption propelled a bright coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth. Click on the image to view a movie of the expanding cloud recorded by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory:

Moving at an estimated speed of 1950 km/s, this CME is expected to sweep up two earlier CMEs already en route. Analysts at the GSFC Space Weather Lab say the combined cloud should reach Earth on August 5th at 13:55 UT plus or minus 7 hours: "The impact on Earth is likely to be major. The estimated maximum geomagnetic activity index level Kp is 7 (Kp ranges from 0 - 9). The flanks of the CME may also impact STEREO A, Mars and Mercury/MESSENGER." High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.

http://www.spaceweather.com/

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Posted : 4 Aug, 2011 02:58 PM

While I am not familiar with this particular variety of solar activity, I have done research on our nation's power grid and how vulnerable it may be to such solar phenomena. Particularly given this recent bout of heat we've been having, it is possible that the power may go out as the infrastructure grid goes down, hopefully temporarily. Just something to be praying for, if it so happens that this type of solar activity could be a factor in such a scenario...

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Posted : 5 Aug, 2011 10:49 AM

Solar maximum is expected in May 2013. So that'll be when we all find out if "forwarned is really forearmed." US infrastructure frankly sucks. And it wouldn't be the first time solar activity caused massive power outages:

"The geomagnetic storm causing this event was itself the result of a coronal mass ejection on March 9, 1989.[1] Three and a half days later, at 2:44 am on March 13, 1989, a severe geomagnetic storm struck Earth.[2][3] The storm began on Earth with extremely intense auroras at the poles. The aurora could be seen as far south as Texas."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_1989_geomagnetic_storm

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Posted : 5 Sep, 2011 07:20 PM

great post Jeff,thanks :)

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