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The Sun Unleashes Coronal Mass Ejection At Earth

astroengine writes "Yesterday morning, at 08:55 UT, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory detected a C3-class flare erupt inside a sunspot cluster. 100,000 kilometers away, deep within the solar atmosphere (the corona), an extended magnetic field filled with cool plasma forming a dark ribbon across the face of the sun (a feature known as a 'filament') erupted at the exact same time. It seems very likely that both eruptions were connected after a powerful shock wave produced by the flare destabilized the filament, causing the eruption. A second solar observatory, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, then spotted a huge coronal mass ejection blast into space, straight in the direction of Earth. Solar physicists have calculated that this magnetic bubble filled with energetic particles should hit Earth on August 3, so look out for some intense aurorae — a solar storm is coming."

26 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. Astroporn by iceborer · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's cosmic bukkake!

    1. Re:Astroporn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      You're a jackass.

      I just had to explain to my coworkers, including my female boss, why I laughed hard enough to snort iced tea all down my shirt. Trying to explain an astronomy joke to normals is one thing, but tying it into in a weird, totally NSFW Japanese fetish? She'll be glaring at me suspiciously all month.

      Might as well get started on my resume....

    2. Re:Astroporn by Dexx · · Score: 4, Funny

      So... lawyers are the larval form of politicians? When they're mature enough they twist the truth into a cocoon and then emerge transformed?

      --
      Feel the fear and do it anyway.
  2. Sun Ejection?! by Reginald2 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Fine, just don't get it in our hair.

    1. Re:Sun Ejection?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Are you trying to say:

      "Here cums the sun?"

  3. Re:So should I unplug all my stuff or not? by pezpunk · · Score: 5, Funny

    actually, i kind of hope it is!

    --
    i could live a little longer in this prison
  4. I'm sure this will work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    If we can land on this coronal-flare and drill a hole into it. Carefully placing a nuke inside the hole, we can divert it so that both halves will miss the earth and everything will be OK.

  5. Solar flares by sheph · · Score: 2, Funny

    So now when the network dies tomorrow it really will be solar flares. So much for my running joke.

    --
    I don't believe in karma, I just call it like I see it.
  6. Re:Irony by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, Alanis, that would just suck.

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  7. Re:Irony by Yvan256 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Something made out of iron?

  8. Re:clarification requested. by boneclinkz · · Score: 5, Funny

    sooo are you saying i should check out the sweet sunset that evening, or prepare for oblivion, or put on some sunscreen, or what? i beg your pardon, i'm just not sure what the proper reaction is when a huge coronal mass ejection blasts a magnetic bubble filled with energetic particles at me.

    All organic life in the Northern Hemisphere is disintegrated at the subatomic level, Pacific Ocean boils away, Indian Ocean freezes solid, everybody in Uganda gets superpowers.

  9. Re:Irony by boneclinkz · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wouldn't it be ironic if this solar flare knocks SOHO out of commission?

    Only if it were to blow up a bus carrying the Phoenix Suns, on a Sunday.

  10. I KNEW IT!!! by Anarchduke · · Score: 1, Funny

    It's just like they teach us in the movies.

    You make a black man president and space tries to kill us.

    --
    who prays for Satan? Who in 18 centuries has had the humanity to pray for the 1 sinner that needed it most? ~Mark Twain
  11. Re:So should I unplug all my stuff or not? by rachit · · Score: 5, Funny

    Not to be pedantic, but telegraph operators did drop dead during the Carrington Flare, if only because they were more or less attached to massive "antennas."
    Moreover, the usual threat of solar storms is not radiation to people, but to the radio equipment that makes modern life possible. This one should only graze the

    One should hope that bqt421 wasn't attached to massive "antennas" while posting this message.

  12. Re:Terrific by interval1066 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Stop playing with that Sun, you'll put your eye out!

    --
    Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
  13. Re:space station by SnarfQuest · · Score: 5, Funny

    If this were a typical science fiction movie, they would have an astronaut deflect it using a mirror made from a candy wrapper and a tongue depressor. When that, surprisingly, fails, the radiation will strike the Earth, waking Godzilla, who will then proceed to destroy Japan. Since I don't live in Japan, I say let him have his fun.

    --
    Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
  14. Re:Flights? by jemtallon · · Score: 4, Funny

    If a solar flare leaves the star Sol at 8:55am traveling at 540 miles/second and a plane takes off from Houston 9 days later, will the flight be affected by the solar flare?

    No.

  15. Re:So should I unplug all my stuff or not? by Chris+Burke · · Score: 4, Funny

    Heart stopped... death... comes swiftly... Must... hit... Submit!

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  16. Re:So should I unplug all my stuff or not? by Eternauta3k · · Score: 4, Funny

    Rather, "must... preview... wait 5 seconds... hit submit!"

    --
    Yeah. Would you choose a neurosurgeon who pokes around people's brains in his spare time? I wouldn't.
  17. Re:clarification requested. by chiph · · Score: 2, Funny

    The moon will also be knocked out of it's orbit, sending the doomed crew of British and American astronauts living at Moonbase Alpha hurtling through space and time, only to suffer horrible deaths at the hands of television executives a scant 48 episodes later.

  18. Re:Flights? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Even if the answer was 'probably', most of the people on a plane out of Houston would probably chance it..

  19. Wow by sjames · · Score: 2, Funny

    I expected a misstep or two with the takeover, but Oracle REALLY screwed up this time!

  20. Re:This is not news...or news-worthy by Darth_brooks · · Score: 2, Funny

    Do not look directly into the sun with remaining eye.....

    --
    There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
  21. Re:So should I unplug all my stuff or not? by PiSkyHi · · Score: 2, Funny

    tag... missing.... arrrrgghhh!!!!

  22. Re:So should I unplug all my stuff or not? by MartinSchou · · Score: 2, Funny

    While not every tropical wave that comes off of africa becomes another Katrina, we need to watch all of them for the one which does.

    I realise I'm not the sharpest spoon in the drawer, but I'm fairly certain waves do not become hurricanes ...

  23. Weird dream I had this morning by noidentity · · Score: 2, Funny

    Weird, I had a dream this morning involving this theme, and I hadn't seen this story until after I woke up. In the dream, my game console was making a weird noise that wouldn't stop. I disconnected it, but it kept making the noise. Then I went into another part of the house and everything was making that noise, and there was no power. I thought it was an EMP or something from a nuclear blast, but then realized that would be very short, not continuous.