Slashdot Mirror


Large Solar Flare To Glance Off Earth

JoeRobe writes "According to spaceweather.com, a major X5 solar flare is on its way to deliver a glancing blow to the Earth's magnetic field. This is the second x-class flare to be released by the same sunspot in the past few days, the first being an X1. In both cases, the sunspot (spot 1429) was not directly facing Earth, but it is still active, and poses a threat for a large, Earth-directed flare in the next few days."

20 of 154 comments (clear)

  1. X-Class you say? by masteva · · Score: 4, Funny

    So we may finally get some actual X-Men out of this???

    --
    Practice Static Safety - Hack Naked
    1. Re:X-Class you say? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I've met a few ex-men, I prefer actual women.

  2. Re:It's??? by plover · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is that as in "Holy Shit, that solar flare, it's headed right for us!" Because if I'm gonna fry, I don't think I want to spend my last few minutes on Earth surrounded by grammar Nazis.

    --
    John
  3. it's official by hguorbray · · Score: 3, Funny

    someone on the sun is shooting at us!

    -I'm just sayin'

  4. Good news by symes · · Score: 3, Interesting

    All the cost and possible misery to one side, a big cosmic event like this could do a lot of good. It might just reinvigorate general public's interest in the cosmos. Just seems a bit too quiet these days.

  5. Re:It's??? by SJHillman · · Score: 5, Funny

    Grammar Nazis tend to be thin-skinned, so you'll live long enough to see them fry first. Happy thoughts!

  6. Will it make my 28k Dialup connection run slower? by cpu6502 · · Score: 3, Funny

    (concerned)

    ;-)

    --
    My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
  7. Scenario by echogen · · Score: 5, Funny

    possible scenario:
    1- Apple applies for a patent regarding magnetic interference.
    2- USPTO grants patent to apple
    3- Solar flare
    4- Apple suing the sun in Germany!
    5- Court prohibits the sun from sending magnetic flares to Germany

    --
    mmmmm.....
  8. Poses a Threat? by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is it paranoid to think that these first two might be a couple of ranging shots?

    --
    Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
    1. Re:Poses a Threat? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Is it paranoid to think that these first two might be a couple of ranging shots?

      Yes, yes it is paranoid to think that.

    2. Re:Poses a Threat? by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 4, Funny

      Really? If it's communications are conducted in almost unrecognizable languages, and it's conversations mainly esoterica beyond human concerns, and those discussions happened only over very long periods, they might not only be sentient, but also tenured.

      --
      Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
  9. where'd I put my tinfoil hat? by nani+popoki · · Score: 5, Informative

    1. Don't be too concerned. This is more an issue for astronauts (minor inconvenience) and satellites (possible software outages), unless you live at high latitudes, in which case auroras are cool!

    2. X5 is strong but not catastrophic -- this might affect shortwave reception but it's not going to take down the power grid.

    1. Re:where'd I put my tinfoil hat? by ShadowBlasko · · Score: 3, Informative

      Not even close my friend. We had an X28 about 7 year ago...

      --
      There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order- Ed Howdershelt Via Tass
  10. Re:It's??? by Ichijo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Because if I'm gonna fry, I don't think I want to spend my last few minutes on Earth surrounded by grammar Nazis.

    Don't worry, the apostrophe is silent.

    --
    Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
  11. Re:Pretty lights? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    In the basement? I sure hope not.

  12. The moon never pulls shit like this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The moon never pulls shit like this.

        from The Onion

  13. too late -- the flare already hit. by oneiros27 · · Score: 5, Informative

    The flare travels at the speed of light ... so we've already been hit by it. The CME is what's going to come tomorrow morning (or tonight, depending on your time zone)

    And the "spot number" as this article called it is actually NOAA Active Region #11429. I'm sick of this modulo 10000 value -- AR1429 was decades ago. (the list I'm looking at starts at AR6777, which was in August 1991)

    I'll leave it for some other time to rant about the difference between 'sunspot number' (a subjective number to describe the amount of spot coverage on the sun in the visible spectrum which goes back centuries) vs. 'active region number' (a NOAA index of spots seen in x-ray)

    --
    Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
  14. Link NOAA model of aurora activity and visibility by RossR · · Score: 4, Informative

    NOAA forecast model of aurora activity and visibility

    http://helios.swpc.noaa.gov/ovation/

    If the little red line is south of your location, you might see something (assuming northern hemisphere). So far no love for the lower 48.

  15. Re:Carrington Event ? by networkBoy · · Score: 3, Informative

    Because in the case of grid failure they will run on diesel generators.
    Which are off and relatively safe until the grid blows, which is after the CME is passed, then they start (even if a delay of manual starting is required, no worries). And in this case there is not a wall of seawater to drown the gennes.
    -nB

    --
    whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
  16. Re:It's??? by Progman3K · · Score: 3, Funny

    Programming is their Forth language

    FTFY

    --
    I don't know the meaning of the word 'don't' - J