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Telescope Spots Solar Tsunami

Posted by Zonk on from the could-even-silver-surfer-have-ridden-that-wave dept.

scdeimos writes "The prototype of a new solar patrol telescope in New Mexico recorded a tsunami-like shock wave rolling across the visible face of the Sun following a major flare event on Wednesday, Dec. 6. The shock wave, known as a Moreton wave, also destroyed or compressed two filaments of cool gas at opposite sides of the solar hemisphere." From the article: "'These large scale 'blast' waves occur infrequently, however, are very powerful. They quickly propagate in a matter of minutes covering the whole Sun, sweeping away filamentary material,' said Dr. K. S. Balasubramaniam. 'It is unusual to see such powerful waves encompassing the whole sun from ground based observatories. Its significance comes from the fact that these waves are occurring near solar minimum, when intense activity is yet to pick up.'"

76 comments

  1. Hmmm... by Lord+Kano · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    It is unusual to see such powerful waves encompassing the whole sun from ground based observatories.

    How long until someone blames the Bush administration for "solar warming"?

    LK

    --
    "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
    1. Re:Hmmm... by Ninjaesque+One · · Score: 1

      Y'know, the solar tsunami could cause geocide, if it were to happen in our dear Earth.

      --
      Ninjas and pirates. How piquant.
    2. Re:Hmmm... by Alien+Being · · Score: 2, Funny

      "How long..."

      Longer than it took someone to imply that he is unfairly judged as a walking disaster.

    3. Re:Hmmm... by SamSim · · Score: 0

      No, it wouldn't. Earth is made of rock, not superheated hydrogen. If it were possible for a solar tsunami to happen on Earth, then Earth would have to be another Sun. And obviously the Sun is not in any imminent danger of being destroyed.

      Personally I think we should turn off or at least dim the Sun anyway. It is, unlike CO2, the ultimate cause of global warming.

      --
      qntm.org
    4. Re:Hmmm... by node+3 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Personally I think we should turn off or at least dim the Sun anyway. It is, unlike CO2, the ultimate cause of global warming.
      The Sun is the source of the heat for global warming, but it's the CO2 that keeps it on Earth.

      There is something reminiscent of the modern Republican party in your response, though. Oversimplification, not accepting personal responsibility, and proposing an impossible solution. The only thing missing is you haven't suggested paying for it by lowering taxes.
    5. Re:Hmmm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      whoosh!

    6. Re:Hmmm... by aplusjimages · · Score: 1

      How soon till someone says it isn't Bush's fault it was an unresolved problem by previous administrations?

      --
      Can I bum a sig?
    7. Re:Hmmm... by geobeck · · Score: 1

      Personally I think we should turn off or at least dim the Sun anyway.

      How about we only turn it off at night?

      --
      Find environmentally and socially responsible products on http://buy-right.net
    8. Re:Hmmm... by SamSim · · Score: 1

      That was a joke, son. I'm not a Republican and I dislike being modded down for being accused of being one.

      --
      qntm.org
    9. Re:Hmmm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Longer than it takes for a similarly assinine political brown-noser to imply that anyone that critisizes his idol must be hopelessly stupid.

    10. Re:Hmmm... by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

      Off Topic, I know. So don't flame me too bad. But I just couldn't let the partisan idiot go by with his snide remarks.

      "There is something reminiscent of the modern Republican party in your response, though. Oversimplification, not accepting personal responsibility, and proposing an impossible solution."

      Actually, the same can be said of Democrats as well. End Poverty, tax the rich. As for personal responsibility and such, go talk to the PI lawyers that line the coffers of democrats running for office.

      "The only thing missing is you haven't suggested paying for it by lowering taxes."

      Well, since most of the spending done by the government is "entitlements", I suppose that cutting spending is out of the question. Every freaking time there is a surplus, the tax and spend liberals, and the tax cut and spend neo-cons start new "programs" that are designed to do one thing or another, without any ability to actually EOL them.

      Personally, I would like people to take responsibility for themselves more and learn from disasters like Katrina. The government is USELESS, and if you think they are going to "help" you, you better get your head examined.

      And just so you know, but LIBERAL Democrats and CONSERVATIVE Republicans were to blame for the crap that happened in NO. Why? Because neither one really care about people, only their own skins.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    11. Re:Hmmm... by node+3 · · Score: 1

      I just couldn't let the partisan idiot go by with his snide remarks.

      I'll ignore that "snide remark" (in fact, I didn't insult the OP at all, yet you did insult me, right off the bat even), since getting too hung up over it doesn't do any good.

      I get the impression (correct me if I'm wrong) that you aren't a Dem or a Repub. You (I gather) find both Dems and Repubs to be pretty much the mirror image of each other, both equally bad, just in opposites of sorts. I'm not going to defend the short-comings of the Democratic Party (they certainly have them), but do want to address the assertion that they are just as bad as the Republican Party.

      Actually, the same can be said of Democrats as well. End Poverty, tax the rich. As for personal responsibility and such, go talk to the PI lawyers that line the coffers of democrats running for office.

      "The same" can be said of anyone. Your proposed example is not nearly as egregious as what the Republicans engage in. You do a massive disservice to equate the two. To do so encourages the lesser party to get away with whatever they can, so long as the other party can be described in the same way, and punishes the better party, for no matter how much they minimize their negatives, there will always be some, and regardless of how minor they are, they will be used against them.

      For examples:

      Every freaking time there is a surplus, the tax and spend liberals, and the tax cut and spend neo-cons start new "programs" that are designed to do one thing or another, without any ability to actually EOL them.

      Ignoring the fact that the Democrats actually *BALANCED* the budget, a budget that was thrown out of whack by 12 years of Reagan and Bush, then the next Republican goes and throws it out of balance again, how can you equate "tax and spend" with "tax cut and spend"? Taxing and spending are supposed to go together. To spend and not tax is foolish, dangerous, and self-destructive. You may disagree with what the Democrats spend money on (I'm sure you'd, in fact, agree with most of what they spend on, it's just the small, but visible, projects you likely take issue with), but at least they are responsible about it.

      And just so you know, but LIBERAL Democrats and CONSERVATIVE Republicans were to blame for the crap that happened in NO. Why? Because neither one really care about people, only their own skins.

      Both care about their own skins, but the Democrats actually believe they have a responsibility to help those less fortunate. Republicans believe people should fend for themselves. Democrats have the balls to spend tax money to actually help others. Republicans will consistently spend only if it furthers their own selfish interests. Only a Class A Moron (there you go, a bit of snide for you to latch onto) could believe the Democrats are just as bad as the Republicans, and will not help the people any more than the Republicans do.

      Personally, I would like people to take responsibility for themselves more and learn from disasters like Katrina. The government is USELESS, and if you think they are going to "help" you, you better get your head examined.

      By definition, a liberal government is one that helps its people. With the liberals in power, they actually will help you. What I can't understand is how people can make statements like yours. Can you actually not imagine a way that the government can help people? Do you think such things are actually impossible? And finally, do you not realize that one party will be better at it than another?

      I used to think like you. I used to see Democrats and Republicans as pretty much the same, just with a different name. That was until recent times when the Republican party really went off the deep end. I can respect Republicans who are reasonably flawed (like the Democrats are), I can respect honest disagreement, and I think the Republican party ha

    12. Re:Hmmm... by node+3 · · Score: 1

      I'm sure you didn't get modded down just because of me. The only thing in your post that implied "I'm joking" was "turn off ... the Sun". Republicans actually do blame the Sun entirely (well, the Sun and volcanos, I think. Really, anything except humans) for global warming, so really, even if you aren't of the addled-minded, you certainly sounded like one.

      In my defense, you'll note I didn't say you were a Republican, just that your post was very similar to Republican rhetoric.

      (In other words, don't blame me. Your joke really wasn't all that funny. :-))

    13. Re:Hmmm... by mr_goofy · · Score: 1

      You mean to say Gandhi and not Ghandi.

    14. Re:Hmmm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's start off with the myth the democans balanced the budget. The only thing theyreally cut was the millitary, and that was in half. The other factor for the budget surplus, which was the two years of a balanced budget, was the dot-com bubble. A good portion of that was from captial gains taxes taken from someon at gunpoint. I agree the republicrats are useless, but so are the democans. That is why I vote Libertarian. Yes, the democans feel they have a responsibility to help they feel are 'less fortunate', but they do this by taking money from someone at gunpoint. If you don't believe me, just refuse paying your taxes and resisting when they come to arrest you, then you will see those guns.

      But back to less fortunate, how can you define 'less fortunate'? According to the democans 'and even the republicrats', one is someone that has caused their own disability. Why should money be taken from me at gunpoint to be given to someone that has caused their own disability by using drugs? Private charities should be used to help those that truly have fallen on hard times by no fault of their own. If someone wants to foolishly pay for someone after they fucked themselves up, then let them. I wouldn't and I don't want the government forcing me to do so.

      Another point is the government feels someone with a made up disability should get help from them. What do I mean by a made up disability? Attention Deficit Disorder is the biggest made up disability out there. I shure the hell don't want to be forced at gunpoint to pay for them. If they want to help them, the parents should give them proper discipline instead of letting them do whatever they want.

      I get so confused anymore as to what the differences are between the republicrats and democans. If there were any differences, then why are the unconstitutional programs like welfare, social security, medicare, etc. still around despite a "Republican" majority? That tells me there is no difference between the republicrats and democans. When you vote for the so-called "lesser of the two evils" you will still choose evil at the same level.

  2. Aha! by locokamil · · Score: 3, Funny

    So that's where Disaster Area's stunt ship crash landed...

    1. Re:Aha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or another colonial Battlestar miscalculated its jump coordinates. Didn't you know that the only options are that you arrive exactly where you planned or else you end up in a star?

    2. Re:Aha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      An non-expanding langston field - that's what you need when you emerge inside a star!

    3. Re:Aha! by Broken+scope · · Score: 1

      QUICKLY! We must check for an improbability field.

      --
      You mad
    4. Re:Aha! by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      Look for signs of sanity in Government

      --
      http://michaelsmith.id.au
    5. Re:Aha! by Lemmeoutada+Collecti · · Score: 1

      Oh noes! I've found signs of sanity in government! A judge made a sane ruling in the SCO case last week! Quick, we need concrete bunkers before the concert starts!

      --

      You can have it fast, accurate, or pretty. Pick any 2.
  3. Seriously radical. by CosmeticLobotamy · · Score: 4, Funny

    The shock wave, known as a Moreton wave, also destroyed or compressed two filaments of cool gas at opposite sides of the solar hemisphere.

    It totally sucks. I mean that was some seriously awesome gas it destroyed. I'm so bummed right now.

    1. Re:Seriously radical. by Tuqui · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Did you check the filaments photos?. It looks like the sun is asking something.

    2. Re:Seriously radical. by Joebert · · Score: 1

      That, or the reason Superman & the Riddler never got along was because they were both from out of this world.

      --
      Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
    3. Re:Seriously radical. by fyoder · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, that's just an ad agency experiment. Check the caption. Looks promising, but clearly a ways to go before they can do multicharacter messages.

      --
      Loose lips lose spit.
    4. Re:Seriously radical. by mverwijs · · Score: 1

      42

    5. Re:Seriously radical. by sevenofnine · · Score: 1

      You cant read the fineprint? it says do not look into the sun! its not an adverticement, its a warning sign. Due to heavy storms the ! has become ? guess the tech still doesnt work out well.

    6. Re:Seriously radical. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, that's just an ad agency experiment.

      I got it. the symbols are

      "? . / i"

      Is clear that is an ad from Slashdot = i?/. => I ask at slashdot.

      Wooah. Slashdot Solar Ads!! and Google didn't even begin one.

    7. Re:Seriously radical. by Chacham · · Score: 1

      Heh. Very cute. :)

      --
      Have you read my journal today?
    8. Re:Seriously radical. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "It looks like the sun is asking something."

      Cool! Evidence of intelligent design! This is the most significant event of the 21st century by far.

      Let's try to decipher the code... I can see the letters "W", "T", and "F" right before the "?".

      What do you suppose it all means?

  4. The real question is will it kill people? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    If so, will it kill white people or just brown people?

    1. Re:The real question is will it kill people? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      shut up you chubby son of a bitch

  5. Please donate ... by jfclavette · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... to my solar tsunami relief fund. Wire your money to my Swiss bank account and I'll see that the money be properly used. I have confidence in Slashdot's readers generosity.

    1. Re:Please donate ... by dangitman · · Score: 2, Funny

      I adopted a filament of gas who was a refuge from the tsunami. I urge you all to do likewise and open your hearts and your houses to the victims.

      --
      ... and then they built the supercollider.
    2. Re:Please donate ... by TranscendentalAnarch · · Score: 1

      Angelina Jolie was seen in Los Angeles today, closely watching her newly adopted filament of gas, a refuge of the recent solar tsunami.

  6. Remember the tourists! by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 1

    They're the ones with real news value.

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  7. Right this moment... by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...thousands of scientists (and people who think they are scientists) are feverishly work how to turn this news into [1] some sort of apocalyptic press release and [2] grant applications.

    Me? Cynical? Nah!

    1. Re:Right this moment... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      OMG We're all gunna diE... ooh, ponies!!!1!1!!

    2. Re:Right this moment... by permawired · · Score: 1

      SO which science do you work for?

  8. Oh, great! by Crash+McBang · · Score: 1

    How's FEMA gonna handle this?

    Are they gonna send aid after it gets dark?

    --
    To put a witty saying into 120 characters, jst rmv ll th vwls.
    1. Re:Oh, great! by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

      FEMA is too busy trying to save itself. Superman will take care of this. When the Fortress of Solitude melts over while he's bonking Lois Lane, the tsunami rays will bounce off his naked "buns of steel" and cancel out the rest of the tsunami rays. Problem sovled with FEMA bonking anything.

  9. Tinfoil Hat by killa62 · · Score: 1

    Good thing my Tinfoil hat protects me from these governmental ()*N*$VY^I@IVN(: B!NO CARRIER

    1. Re:Tinfoil Hat by Kingrames · · Score: 1

      Wow, I must be really geeky, because I tried to read that as 1337 before I realized it was just randomly assorted characters.

      --
      If you can read this, I forgot to post anonymously.
    2. Re:Tinfoil Hat by Cerberus7 · · Score: 2, Funny

      I think that speaks volumes about "1337."

      --
      I don't know about you, but my servers run on the power of cotton candy and happy thoughts. -Anonymous Coward
  10. Northern lights by oddeirik · · Score: 4, Interesting

    With this recent sun activity people in the northern regions of the globe should be able to see Northern Lights, probably stronger than the usual flares since the sun is now (almost) at a minimum.
    Although I guess it's a bit of bad luck for Discovery and it's crew with the chance of powerful radiation storms...

    1. Re:Northern lights by Vreejack · · Score: 2, Informative

      Only if the flares are pointed at us. But most flares (this one included) are not.

      --
      "Will future ages believe that such stupid bigotry ever existed!" -- Ivanhoe
    2. Re:Northern lights by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With this recent sun activity people in the northern regions of the globe should be able to see Northern Lights, probably stronger than the usual flares since the sun is now (almost) at a minimum.

      Solar minimum is when the sun has the least activity.

  11. passé by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Tsunami this, tsunami that, tsunami-LIKE, almost tsunami...

    Is it another "attention drawer", to make the comparision with the late tsunami? To grab attention "oh no! A tsunami-LIKE storm on the sun. The poor sun-people! Living on a star hotter then anything I could possible imagine with my puny brain!"


    gah.
    1. Re:passé by spun · · Score: 1

      It's a veritable tidal-wave of tsunami metaphors...

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  12. easy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    First it turns everybody brown, then it kills them.

  13. Solar Patrol Telescope by dangitman · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I saw them play in Las Vegas, and it was a totally bitchin' punk gig. They even burned their guitars at the end, and totally wailed on the mosh pit. Check out their Myspace page for free downloads.

    --
    ... and then they built the supercollider.
  14. Tsunami & WoW 2.0.1 by Nicolas+Pillot · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Indeed it seems like the World of Warcraft major update of
    December, 6th had even greater effect than expected.

    Players on the sun showed us their anger. Even Blizzard
    would not be able to withstand the Sun's anger, and would
    quickly get fired.

    Hmmm thinking about it, Orcs may come from the sun.

  15. Let me be the fist one to say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's hot!

    Thank you. Thank you, I'll be here all night.

  16. What does LordKano & the South have in common? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You both lost. And you can't GET OVER IT!!!

  17. Re:What does LordKano & the South have in comm by Travoltus · · Score: 1

    LOL!!

    --
    --- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
  18. There you go by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's a glaring evidence of what global warming can do.

  19. In Soviet Russia by WetCat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Seriously, in Moscow I just experienced short random interruptions in AM broadcasts jiust right now. Moments of silence.
    Could it be the result of a solar flare?

    1. Re:In Soviet Russia by SeaDour · · Score: 1

      Remember this flare was last Wednesday. The sun is actually quiet at the moment -- check www.spaceweather.com for the latest info.

  20. How fast? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How fast did this wave travel?

  21. stupid nasa by elgatozorbas · · Score: 2, Funny

    Amen, dude! Besides, those nasa guys weren't even smart enough to take the pictures during daytime. The sun is all dark and grey.

  22. mod 3own by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    though I have never join in especial7y Series of exp7oding another special

  23. Amazing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Forty three comments (including this one) and not one serious post. All either trolls or attempts at humor. Slashdot is actually becoming painful to read.

    1. Re:Amazing by Awod · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Forty three comments (including this one) and not one serious post. All either trolls or attempts at humor. Slashdot is actually becoming painful to read. make that 44.
    2. Re:Amazing by gordguide · · Score: 1

      OK, I'll bite.

      I read the article but my very first question wasn't answered. So:
      Anybody have any back-of-the-envelope or better calculations as to how fast this wave must be moving? The Sun's a pretty big bit of real estate, and this looks like it was much, much faster than an earthbound/waterborne Tsunami.

    3. Re:Amazing by ThogScully · · Score: 1

      I was wondering the same thing. Not that anyone really has a realistic sense of scale when it comes to things as big as the sun, but the frames in that animation could be separated by seconds or hours and that article gives no indication one way or the other. I guess either way, it's safe to say "really fast." It sure didn't take days from what I gather and anything that travels around the sphere of the sun in less than a day has got to be moving pretty quick.
      -N

      --
      I've nothing to say here...
    4. Re:Amazing by justthinkit · · Score: 1

      This is why I give "Funny" modded posts a -3 modifier in my preferences and then browse for comments modded +2 or higher. Not that I don't have a sense of humor.

      --
      I come here for the love
  24. I'm sure they have their best men at it by merikari · · Score: 1

    First they were told to find a place where the sun don't shine, and now this... I'm sure they are doing a hackuva job.

    --
    My other SIG is a Sauer.
  25. The Beach Boys predicted this 30 years ago... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Catch a wave and you're sitting on top of the world!

  26. I can't believe this. by idonthack · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Nobody has mentioned yet how fucking awesome this is. I expected you would, with your "seriously radical" subject line, but you didn't.

    It's a huge tsunami of terrible nuclear fire. A gigantic shock wave of deadly radioactive plasma. Large enough and forceful enough to sustain itself across the surface of the sun, obliterating the few visible features it has. You're in awe when somebody says "the explosion would be visible from the moon" but this is unfathomably larger. It's immense enough to be an astonishingly big statistical anomaly on an object more than a million times the size of the rock we live on.

    This is... like... the coolest thing that ever happened in our solar system.

    --
    Why is it that when you believe something it's an opinion, but when I believe something it's a manifesto?
    1. Re:I can't believe this. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a huge tsunami of terrible nuclear fire.

      Nuclear reactions happen in the deep core of the sun, not at the surface.

  27. How many tons? Moretons! by maillemaker · · Score: 1

    Kilotons, Megatons, now Moretons!

    --
    A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
  28. Speed of the wave by LotsOfPhil · · Score: 1
    "They quickly propagate in a matter of minutes covering the whole Sun, sweeping away filamentary material."

    The circumference of the sun is 4,373,000 km. Call "matter of minutes" 10 minutes = 600 seconds. Divide circumference by two since the wave propagates in both directions. The wave is travelling at 3600 km/s. That's pretty damn fast.
    --
    This post climbed Mt. Washington.
  29. Cool pic if you don't want to RTFA by xzqx · · Score: 1

    An animation showing the wave moving across the sun.

  30. Cold Fusion - maybe not a good idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So if cold fusion is suppose to mimic the way the sun generates power then what is preventing a similar situation/shock from occuring when cold fusion is finally put into place?

  31. What is a mod to do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Although, I found a few comments that were almost funny, I don't think it was in ways that were intended... So I am on to the next thread. I am pretty sure Moreton waves are curious phenomena that are not funny to talk about and no one on slashdot has said anything particularly Insightful or Interesting about them.

  32. Another Animation Of The Event by szyzyg · · Score: 2, Informative

    This one shows the whole event and then replays it zoomed in on the sunspot and on the filament destruction

    http://meems.imeem.com/iQrVatKB/video/wPgDIh4_/sol ar_tsunami/

    A couple of days ago if you googled 'Solar Tsunami' the top hit was from some nutter who had a whole website that was promoting the theory that underneath the photosphere there was a solid iron-silica surface, thankfully the scientists had enough imagination to call it a tsunami rather than a Moreton wave.

    I can think of some other crackpot science that needs to be googlebombed into non-significance.