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Most Powerful Geomagnetic Storm of Solar Cycle 24 Is Happening

Posted by Soulskill on from the pretty-colors-in-the-sky dept.

astroengine writes: The most powerful solar storm of the current solar cycle is currently reverberating around the globe. Initially triggered by the impact of a coronal mass ejection (CME) hitting our planet's magnetosphere, a relatively mild geomagnetic storm erupted at around 04:30 UT (12:30 a.m. EDT), but it has since ramped-up to an impressive G4-class geomagnetic storm, priming high latitudes for some bright auroral displays.

86 comments

  1. Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's time to shield your RAM or hope you got EEC.

    1. Re:Solar flares? by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's time to shield your RAM or hope you got EEC.

      Nah, nothing bad will ha(%^%^$##*

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    2. Re:Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      It's time to shield your RAM or hope you got EEC.

      It's ECC ( Error Correcting Code ) not EEC.

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

    3. Re:Solar flares? by bloodhawk · · Score: 1

      obviously he wasn't using ECC and the flare had corrupted 2 bits.

    4. Re:Solar flares? by erice · · Score: 2

      obviously he wasn't using ECC and the flare had corrupted 2 bits.

      Or maybe he *was* using ECC. ECC can only correct 1 bit.

    5. Re:Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not a radiation storm on the orbit, or a cosmic ray burst (something which could be more worrisome at solar minimums). Better spin up those backup generators and turn on those UPSs before the shit hits the local power distribution nodes.

    6. Re:Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have wom the facplam award.

    7. Re:Solar flares? by dAzED1 · · Score: 1

      so and should be or?

    8. Re:Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      wrong. a simple parity check can only correct one bit, most ECC memory is quite capable of multi bit flip correction through interleaving especially with neighbouring bits.

    9. Re:Solar flares? by beanpoppa · · Score: 2

      ...as I sit in darkness (save for the warm glow of a laptop on batteries) in the middle of a power outage.

    10. Re:Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Solar storms are nothing to worry about with tin-foil lined ceiling and walls.

    11. Re:Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It should be Electronic Error Correction.

    12. Re:Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's just nasty luck, if I may say so.

    13. Re:Solar flares? by erice · · Score: 2

      wrong. a simple parity check can only correct one bit, most ECC memory is quite capable of multi bit flip correction through interleaving especially with neighbouring bits.

      Parity can not correct any bits. It only detects single bit errors. While many ECC codes exist, the Hamming code overwhelmingly used in computer memories can correct one bit in a 64-bit word and detect two bit errors.

    14. Re:Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You needed to stop while you were ahead, or at least only a little behind. There are memory modules that can both detect and correct "some" multi bit errors and they are very common in servers. e.g. the memory we use in our HP servers is capable of both detecting multi bit errors and correcting some of them (not all though).

    15. Re:Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, memory effects generally come from proton radiation storms, not geomagnetic storms.

      Radiation storms are usually associated with large flares. There need not be an Earth-directed CME, but it does help if a recent event created a stronger magnetic path to Earth. If that was a stream, by the time it gets towards Earth, the end that it's originating from on the sun is near or even beyond the western (rotating away) edge. So most events that cause radiation storms are "near the western limb". (see Parker Spiral)

      Most of the time the atmosphere stops any particles, but when the energy is high there can be secondary collisions. An event much more rare, but usually associated with a radiation storm, is a GLE (ground level enhancement). A spike in high energy radiation level can do strange things. Creating an invisible trail, if a particle goes in the right spot, it can cause some smoke detectors to chirp out of the blue. (Usually just once, less often a few times, not at the lower volume or regular interval of a low-battery warning). Since the radiation bursts are seldom and brief, they don't add up to much exposure on Earth.

      Those with counters may see a slight increase in background on the leading edge CME and fast solar wind. And since fast events clear away some slower but heavier particles that would collide with the atmosphere, there's often a drop to below normal background after an event passes. When CMEs are more frequent, like this last week, an earlier CME sweeping away some solar wind particles leaves a path when a subsequent fast CME won't get slowed down as much as usual. And if there is a fast stream from a coronal hole nearby, we we also have now), it may be sped up and spread out less. There was also a filament eruption. Those usually spread less than flare CMEs, and tend to be denser. I'm not sure what happened with the filament eruption on the 11th. I think it went west-north-west.

      For many people, radon from soil and well water is far more likely to be of concern. Avoid taking long showers during a drought. More ground water is used during droughts, and that's what usually has the most radon.

    16. Re:Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      European Economic Community.

    17. Re:Solar flares? by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      It's time to shield your RAM or hope you got EEC.

      Us Europeans have had EEC for ages. Typical American, thinking we're some banana state or something.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    18. Re:Solar flares? by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 2

      That's a great reply. Makes me glad that my water supply is from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (well, except for what may have been dumped in it upstream and not removed by the filtration plant).

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    19. Re:Solar flares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Enigmatic Erection Condition

  2. Is it something we said? by rmdingler · · Score: 2
    It only seems like the solar system is upset with us, right? Who could blame them...

    Although to be fair, I stand in awe of the fact that the earth herself hadn't done more to cull the human population explosion.

    --
    Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

    Ernest Hemingway

    1. Re:Is it something we said? by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 2

      cull the human population explosion.

      Meh, it's already starting to level off. As it turns out, raising and educating kids in a non-agrarian society is really expensive. Plus, when women have career options, most choose not to become baby factories.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    2. Re:Is it something we said? by circletimessquare · · Score: 2

      women's rights and birth control

      give women empowerment over their own bodies and the choice of when to have a child or not, and you get less hungry mouths to feed

      less hungry mouths to feed and you think more about taking care of the precious few mouths you have, rather than killing all of the destructive uneducated hungry mouths ruining your society

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    3. Re:Is it something we said? by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      As it turns out, raising and educating kids in a non-agrarian society is really expensive.

      Let me know when you find one.

      The fact that the majority of people live in cities doesn't make them "not agrarian". Our entire population is dependent on the greatest, most productive agriculture in the history of the world.

    4. Re:Is it something we said? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

      You're wrong. The latest projections for human population in 2100 was revised up. Now the population may be as high as 12 billions people.

      Also, most women choose to have babies AND pursue a career. Where I live, thanks to the women's rights movement, not only there's subsidized daycare, completely free health care for children, free education, laws to protect women in the work place who chose to have babies (paid maternity leaves, obligation for the employer to accommodate women with children, etc.), generous government child support programs (up to 10,000$ per year per child), but the laws also make sure fathers are obligated to support their ex-girlfriend until the "child" has finished school (which can go up to 25 years old). It is considered that the well being of the woman is essential to the well being of the child.

      Now the women's rights movement is pushing for a law which would give women the full benefit of marriage (meaning half the assets of the man) only after two years of relationship. After two years, you're automatically married, whether you like it or not! It's also pushing to make paternity tests illegal, as it is considered a violation of women's rights and a possible attack on their financial security.

      When facing a choice between a career or a baby, most women will choose to change laws so they can have both.

      (BTW, I was a strong supporter of women's rights 30 years ago, but now I think it's gone too far and it's men who should fight for their rights.)

    5. Re:Is it something we said? by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 3, Informative

      An "agrarian society" generally means at least half the population is engaged in agriculture. By that definition, all first-world nations are most assuredly "technological" or "industrial" as opposed to "agrarian", and have been for quite some time. That's not discounting the importance of agriculture... it's just an acknowledgement of how mechanization and agricultural science allows farmers to be hundreds of times as productive as they used to be.

      Sheesh, this is veering way off-topic.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    6. Re:Is it something we said? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now the women's rights movement is pushing for a law which would give women the full benefit of marriage (meaning half the assets of the man) only after two years of relationship.

      I don't know where you read that or what country you're talking about but that's pure nonsense. First of all, nobody gets anything from the other in a marriage unless you sign a contract that says so. The standard contract does, but there are plenty of alternatives for couples who want to stay financially independent. Only the things you buy together are divided in a divorce. It is technically impossible for something so specific to come into effect automatically in a non-binding relationship (specially as blurry as boyfriend/girlfriend) and any law-maker knows this well.

      It's also pushing to make paternity tests illegal

      Again, stupid. I don't know who's feeding you all this nonsense but you should stop listening to them. These things can't happen, roman law system or common law system.

      (BTW, I was a strong supporter of women's rights 30 years ago

      Somehow I doubt it, you sound like those creeps in the Men's Rights groups.

    7. Re:Is it something we said? by rioki · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Sheesh, this is veering way off-topic.

      Since when are /. discussions on topic?

      So... systemd or stupid apple fan boys?

    8. Re:Is it something we said? by St.Creed · · Score: 1

      I'll take "stupid apple fanboys" for 5 points.

      --
      Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
    9. Re:Is it something we said? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Take my stupid apple fanboys, please!

    10. Re:Is it something we said? by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      An "agrarian society" generally means at least half the population is engaged in agriculture. By that definition, all first-world nations are most assuredly "technological" or "industrial" as opposed to "agrarian", and have been for quite some time.

      Okay, but that contradicts their initial definition, at the top of the page:

      An agrarian society (or agricultural society) is any society whose economy is based on producing and maintaining crops and farmland.

      For many decades, we were the #1 food producing country in the world. I don't know if that's still true, but I believe it is.

      In any case, if you go by that definition further down the page, I agree that the U.S. would not be considered agrarian.

    11. Re:Is it something we said? by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      An agrarian society is not one whose agriculture is really productive, but one where agriculture is the most important thing in the economy. The US has been an industrial powerhouse for a long time (and continues to be one), and hasn't been agrarian since industry became the most important thing in the economy, which would be late 19th Century or early 20th.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  3. Hark! Look up! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The sky is full of bright areola displays, and mammatus clouds. ( o Y o )

  4. Yellow Alert by JonWan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Shields up, take warp drive offline, give maneuvering thrusters and brace for impact!

    1. Re:Yellow Alert by Lead+Butthead · · Score: 1

      Now I call _THIS_ a colossal negative space wedgie!

      --
      ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
    2. Re:Yellow Alert by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      I think we should go straight to brown - and don't say I didn't alert you!

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    3. Re:Yellow Alert by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      I think if we simply reverse the polarity of the neutrons, all will be well.

      Otherwise, just call Voyager Ex-Borg 36 of D up on the bridge, and at least we will enjoy our demise with a bit of amusement . . .

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    4. Re:Yellow Alert by JonWan · · Score: 2

      +1 funny Red Dwarf, at first glance I thought it was a reference to "Closet cases of the nerd kind", but that's really obscure!

    5. Re:Yellow Alert by egilhh · · Score: 2

      Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb.

    6. Re:Yellow Alert by wasteoid · · Score: 1

      Wake me when it's brown alert.

    7. Re:Yellow Alert by wasteoid · · Score: 1

      Bah, now I'm awake!

  5. I believe they make a special cream ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ... for coronal mass ejection. Clears it right up.

    1. Re:I believe they make a special cream ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought it was this thing that contained the ejection and not just a cream...

    2. Re:I believe they make a special cream ... by Fjandr · · Score: 2

      Well, you don't necessarily need to use something to contain the ejection if you're using coronacidal cream properly, but the cream doesn't protect you from coronally-transmitted diseases.

  6. I had 2 lock-ups today (linux) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    figured it was javascript or flash leaking memory

    non ecc ram of course
    no ups either

  7. There goes Cisco routers! by Sandman1971 · · Score: 1

    Better prepare for Cisco routers crashes (and everything else using non shielded, non ECC RAM)

    --
    It's better to burn out than to fade away
  8. Awesome site... by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 2

    I can't believe this story was accepted when the one directly below it in the link was about how you could purchase "Space Yeast" that was in space during this storm. And you get a package of control, regular yeast too! I wonder if the loaf of bread made from it will be stretchy, invisible, turn into rock, or catch on fire?

    1. Re:Awesome site... by PPH · · Score: 1

      "Space Yeast" ... I wonder if the loaf of bread made from it will be stretchy, invisible, turn into rock, or catch on fire?

      Sentient.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    2. Re:Awesome site... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sentient.

      Mmm... delicious.

    3. Re:Awesome site... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      But for some reason, all it thought was, "not again" before falling to its doom.....

    4. Re:Awesome site... by l0n3s0m3phr34k · · Score: 1

      It Soviet Russia, Space Yeast eats YOU!

    5. Re:Awesome site... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Novelty gifts help fund high altitude balloon experiments conducted by a group of science students.

      Bake bread with yeast that's been to the edge of space and seen some extra radiation.
      Be part of the experiment and see if it keep zombies away... or creates them. It's a good cause.

  9. How to know if there's a chance of an aurora? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I've seen any number of websites that purport to let you know if there's going to be an aurora sighting, but where I live they're rare enough that I don't see the point of signing up for a notification that I'm not sure will ever come but will assuredly get me lots of spam. At the same time I'm definitely not in the habit of just going out and looking because that's so rare it's like winning the lottery (maybe once in every 2000 nights?)

    1. Re:How to know if there's a chance of an aurora? by Pikoro · · Score: 2

      Try here: Softserve News

      By the way, this storm is already almost over. It's real peak was early Tuesday morning when the Bz hit 8.33. I snapped almost 500 pics during the early morning hours.

      Here's the album for anyone who's interested.

      --
      "Freedom in the USA is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to stop others from doing what THEY want"
    2. Re:How to know if there's a chance of an aurora? by fisted · · Score: 0

      I snapped almost 500 pics during the early morning hours.

      And ruined every single one with a watermark which doesn't even look good, well done.

      --
      CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
    3. Re:How to know if there's a chance of an aurora? by warpuck · · Score: 0

      This past week if you were awake and outdoors and looked to the north. The aurora was observable in lower Michigan, I think last time this happened was in the late 1950s

    4. Re:How to know if there's a chance of an aurora? by Pikoro · · Score: 1

      And if someone wants a print or to use one for other purposes, a simple message will get rid of it. The ones on flickr aren't full res either.

      --
      "Freedom in the USA is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to stop others from doing what THEY want"
  10. I live in Seattle by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 3, Funny

    You insensitive clod!

    Seriously, the clouds have moved in right on cue...

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:I live in Seattle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I feel you.
      I have missed every celestial event for about 5 years now.
      Space station flyovers, meteor showers, eclipses...
      Clouds always right on cue.

      The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle.

    2. Re:I live in Seattle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And that cue is....

      Someone in seattle sneezed?

    3. Re:I live in Seattle by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      And that cue is....

      Someone in seattle sneezed?

      ... or woke up.
      ... or went to sleep.
      ... or looked at a girl.
      ... or had a latte.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
  11. Hellcat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You just had to have that Dodge Hellcat, didn't you? Now look what you've done.

  12. Aurora Saurus by millette · · Score: 4, Informative

    Reporting auraras from the ground up, contribute http://aurorasaurus.org/

    1. Re:Aurora Saurus by jhol13 · · Score: 1

      http://www.kaleva.fi/uutiset/g...

    2. Re:Aurora Saurus by Grisstle · · Score: 1

      Seems like it would be a great website but I've tried two different devices on two different connections and both times the website wouldn't accept my report and said I can only report 2/hour even though I haven't.

    3. Re:Aurora Saurus by millette · · Score: 1

      Funny how discovery.com didn't accept my comment with the aurorasaurus link. Oh well, thank you /. :-)

    4. Re:Aurora Saurus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Our developers have reported that they've fixed the bug now. 3/18 10 am ET.
      Thanks,
      Liz
      aurorasaurus.org

    5. Re:Aurora Saurus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny how discovery.com didn't accept my comment with the aurorasaurus link. Oh well, thank you /. :-)

      Funny how you whine cry and bitch about shit that doesn't matter.

  13. I, for one by Snotnose · · Score: 1
    Welcome our electromagnetic overlords!

    / may the non-Chinese sourced electrolytic caps capture your glory

  14. Hehehehehe... by vomitology · · Score: 2

    'coronal mass ejection' is now my new favorite innuendo.

    --
    ~Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
  15. great work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://bit.ly/1wV0z1z

  16. Brilliant display tonight by Grisstle · · Score: 3

    I can see them from Mid-Western Saskatchewan. Brilliant green flowing across the skyline. We watched them from the edge of the city for about an hour tonight. You could see them even in the city with street lights on. Then they just disappeared very abruptly

  17. Webcam links? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Anyone care to share links to live webcams showing the aurora? Its too cloudy here to get a firsthand view :(

  18. They rejected my report ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I tried submitting a report, but their system tells me - "Sorry, you can only report 2/hour and 6/day"

    I never submit anything before this, in fact, I didn't even know the existence of this site either

    o0

  19. The Power Grid Yawns by anorlunda · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Once again the power grid shrugs off this magnetic storm with a yawn.

    But as soon as this storm has passed, a fresh set of scare stories will begin.
    "The Power Grid Will Melt When the Next Magnetic Storm Hits."

    1. Re:The Power Grid Yawns by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No they won't. They won't even bother with "The Grid". What the chicken little stories will be going on about is how this is why our global temperature is going up and it's not because of what we may or may not be illegally dumping into the water/air. It's all natural ya see.....

  20. We are not worried here... by ctrl-alt-canc · · Score: 1

    A solar eclipse is scheduled in two days, to defend us from sun.

  21. it was nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    that the aura was green last night, nice touch on St. Pat's day.

  22. aurora observed at 48.000N by DavidMZ · · Score: 2

    Auroras have been observed at latitudes as low as 48.000 N - see this article from the french News France 3

  23. Egads! Bring in the tomato plants! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't let your tomato plants get fried by solar radiation and bring them in for heaven's sake!