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Largest Sunspot In a Quarter Century Spews Flares

Posted by Soulskill on from the good-thing-mother-earth-knows-how-to-duck-and-weave dept.

schwit1 writes: The largest sunspot seen in about a quarter century has produced another powerful X-class flare today, the sixth in less than a week. "This was the sixth X-class solar flare from NOAA 2192, a record for the number of X-class flares generated by a single group so far this solar cycle. It was also the fourth X-class flare since last Friday, continuing a period of intense flaring activity. This sunspot group has grown again a bit, and maintains its magnetic complexity. A degradation of the HF radio-communication was observed over South-America, the Caribbean, and West-Africa." The last sentence is referring to some radio communications blackouts that have occurred in these areas because of the flares.

8 of 46 comments (clear)

  1. Good to see it by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 2

    I'm glad we didn't enter into a maunder minimum like folks were nervous about.

    Having no summer to grow food worldwide would be pretty devastating for many people.

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    _ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
    1. Re:Good to see it by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 2

      I don't think sunspots can actually count - regardless of their size.

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      _ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
  2. Re:Quarter Century by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is that what a quarter century means?

    Wow!

    --
    _ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
  3. Re:16 posts containing banal "jokes", 0 of any val by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Thanks for elevating the discussion. Now, feel free to go back to the clusterfuck site you think is better. Or just go. Away.

  4. Re:16 posts containing banal "jokes", 0 of any val by Lotana · · Score: 2

    What is there to discuss?

    This is yet another sensetionalist blurb article: Oh no! A large sunspot! Communication might be affected!!! Once you discuss one of these useless stories, there is nothing left to discuss.

    Yes, there is a sunspot. They occur all the time. So what?

  5. Re:Oh shit by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 2

    Fuel and oxygen... we'll be fine as long as there's no concentrated amount of great heat or other source of ignition.

    --
    You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
  6. Re:16 posts containing banal "jokes", 0 of any val by TheRaven64 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So this is what Slashdot has become.

    No, this is what Slashdot has always been. I started regularly reading Slashdot around 2000, and back then there were posts just like yours decrying the state of Slashdot today, pining for some golden age. And yet, looking at the archives, not much had changed.

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    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  7. Re: Quarter Century by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sweet I'm going to switch the wording on my resume that I keep updated just in case:

    -Has been a Unix/Linux systems administrator for over one-fifth of a century!!

    Much better.