Slashdot Mirror
A Powerful Solar Storm Is Bringing Hazards and Rare Auroras Our Way (fastcompany.com)
tedlistens shares a report from Fast Company: The Space Weather Prediction Center has upgraded a geomagnetic storm watch for September 6 and 7 to a level only occasionally seen, but scientists say it's nothing to be too alarmed about. They do recommend looking for an unusual display of the aurora -- the northern lights caused by a disturbance of the magnetosphere -- in areas of the U.S. not used to seeing them: "really in the upper tier of the United States," says Robert Rutledge, lead of operations at the center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The storm could pose an "elevated radiation risk to passengers and crew in high-flying aircraft at far north or south latitudes," a NOAA warning says, and intermittently impact high frequency RF communications, which may require some transpolar flight routes to divert to lower geomagnetic latitudes (a shift that would cost the airlines more). There's a slim chance of isolated interfere with high-precision GPS readings, but those issues usually only tend to arise with stronger storms.
The so-called G3 level storm is the result of what's called a coronal mass ejection, where magnetic interactions on the sun launch part of its outer atmosphere of superheated plasma into space. When that burst of radiation gets near earth -- barreling toward us at a million miles per hour, it takes about two days to make the journey -- its magnetic field interacts with Earth's, Rutledge says. Northern U.S. and Canadian residents hoping to catch a glimpse of the aurora will get their best shot on Wednesday night and early Thursday, and the Space Weather Prediction Center posts 30-minute forecasts of the colorful sky phenomenon's intensity.
The so-called G3 level storm is the result of what's called a coronal mass ejection, where magnetic interactions on the sun launch part of its outer atmosphere of superheated plasma into space. When that burst of radiation gets near earth -- barreling toward us at a million miles per hour, it takes about two days to make the journey -- its magnetic field interacts with Earth's, Rutledge says. Northern U.S. and Canadian residents hoping to catch a glimpse of the aurora will get their best shot on Wednesday night and early Thursday, and the Space Weather Prediction Center posts 30-minute forecasts of the colorful sky phenomenon's intensity.
"million miles per hour, it takes about two days to make the journey"
The Sun is about 93 million miles from Earth, that would be 93 hours or 3.8 days
Too close to full Moon. We'd really have to go off the chart to see this in NorCal anyway, right? Also... wild fire smoke. I'll take one peek out the window and go, "yeah, that's moonlight".
Every time I heard/read warnings of solar storms and their effects in the end it was kind of a non-event.
"By the way if anyone here is in advertising or marketing... kill yourself." -- Bill Hicks
. . . two major hurricanes, Lil' Kim threatening to deliver "gift packages", domestic unrest to the point of rioting in some places, and now this.
I halfway expect Godzilla to emerge from Tokyo Bay, at this rate (grin)
Because as best I can tell from the linked prediction animation, you need to be in Alaska to have a hope of seeing this, because all the other states are at least 4 degrees too far south.
And Canada doesn't have a hell of a lot of people living north of James Bay, either.
Yeah so what? Sounds to me like the 60s and 70s again. Plenty of that shit went on back then too.
Time for snowflakes to grow up and realize the rest of the world, and hurricanes, don't care about you.
. . . two major hurricanes, Lil' Kim threatening to deliver "gift packages", domestic unrest to the point of rioting in some places, and now this.
I halfway expect Godzilla to emerge from Tokyo Bay, at this rate (grin)
Yeah, global warming caused all that.
Global warming also caused no hurricanes to hit the US for over a decade.
Global warming - the shibboleth of the anti-Western "progressive" who for some reason WANTS humanity to be harming the globe. I guess it's just another channel for childish virtue-signalling.
You'd also need to be away from big settlement so the light pollution doesn't completely over flood the auroras.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
hmm. Never mentioned Globull Wormening. Just noting that it's gotten unusually wierd out there, lately. . . .
My subject is just mass skepticism mixed with a bad science and forecasting model coupled with some sick conspiracy to get people who live in the Northern US to stay up until the wee hours again like we all did in July 2017! This is even more bleak than last time based on their description.
I will say: Why the heck is 'upper tier of the US' and 'areas of the US' even advertised in this article? That's garbage. Upper tier is Minnesota, North and some of South Dakota, Montana and anything else directly east and west of those and certainly not anymore south than Nebraska as best. Did geography change overnight? The only thing I see is Alaska and that's never been considered 'CONUS' last time I knew. I guess when the 'US' is said, I think CONUS --- we all know Hawaii and Alaska are part of the US but outlying.
Man, whoever is writing this Aurora news lately really wants to make a story out of it.
Dammit, beat me to it. I wanted to make the comment on how this was somehow climate changes fault.
And since I know I'm going to get down modded, remember, people were screaming how Harvey was because of climate change. Even though for all of our records, we get hit by hurricanes about that powerful every few years. Hell, it was only a cat 4 hurricane, so though strong, hardly ungodly powerful, and yet people were screaming climate change. Any increase in frequency or damage is most likely explained by the US being more densely populated. The frequency of hurricanes has not increased, in fact, hitting H by the end of August seems to indicate we're having a fairly slow season. Normally by this time of the year we're and M or N, to only be at I is a pretty slow season.
all stretched out now?
If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
No, I did not.
#DeleteFacebook
It seems like to some morons if the climate changes globally, there's fuck all change that happens.
How does that work?
I halfway expect Godzilla to emerge from Tokyo Bay, at this rate (grin)
Picturing a Nissan GTR being dragged up from Tokyo harbour.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Awesome. Despite the fact that he never once mentioned global warming, and despite the fact that 3 of the 4 things he mentioned couldn't possibly have been caused by global warming, you assume he's talking about global warming and try to shoot it down.
Once again, global warming deniers prove they aren't denying based on any factual evidence, but merely out of some gut instinct to deny anything you don't agree with politically, to the point that you are instinctively denying accusations that haven't even been made. You're like the guilty kid telling mom "I didn't eat the cookies" before she's even realized any cookies are missing.
Hmm, you mean to say Glowbull Worming?
The phone bands from 1.8 to 7.0 died at 7:01 central this morning.
There have been two X class solar flares today, and the second was X9, which is the biggest of this solar cycle. So there may be more geomagnetic storms coming over the next few days.
Yet nobody cares about the thousands of people who died in the monsoons in southeast Asia recently. No no, those are brown people, we don't care.
Here in the Pacific Northwest. I had a thin layer of ash on my car again this morning.
Have gnu, will travel.
It's because he's a dipshit looking for a soapbox. If the article was about the price of lemonade he'd still bring up denier arguments.
Trump should visit the Sun and tell it how great he is.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
It's pretty amazing that the Earth shields us so well from these type of things. Without the magnetic field we'd all be irradiated Hulk monsters! Wait, that might be cool!
Between the Aurora and the eclipse we'll all be blinded. The Triffids will triumph.
Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
This solar storm may very well add to dangers linked to Hurricane Irma. The associated radio interference is a major concern to all satellites, especially weather satellites that have sensitive sensors. Note that in last 2 years we have lost a number of capabilities due to lack of funding on a number of weather and climate satellites, and now when we face terrible storms like those never seen in centuries, we are already getting less data than we had even 3 years ago. Look at the lack of contrast and color coded data in recent images from space. We will pay now in billions untold for the lack of funding in weather and climate space sciences that would have cost at most a little over a billion if they had been funded. Hindsight yes but fact none the less.
You got that right
Yeah here's new report on new flare, huge;
https://www.space.com/38057-sun-unleashes-decades-strongest-solar-flare.html
Actually it's more that it didn't happen in their backyard. Given that Texas is home to about 1 in 9 people of the USA, well, a lot of folks live in Texas or have friends and relatives who do. I daresay that to the folks in southeast Asia, hurricane harvey didn't mean a lot to them, either.
or starvin' marvins from ethanopia.
There was a paper put out recent on whale beach strandings that hypothesizes that whales and some other major migratory ocean creatures that are sensitives to geomagnetics (bio compasses) may be affected by solar flares causing shifts in the earth's mag field, enough that they do stupid things like head into shallow bays because they think that is north or south. The researchers tried lining up measured geomagnetic north variation readings of weather stations near sperm whale strandings and known space weather conditions, and there may be a delayed link between the two. So expect some whale strandings next week.
Thank you. I was watching LA92, a documentary on the race riots in Los Angeles in 1992, earlier this week. Those started with groups of black men gathering around an intersection and throwing bottles and rocks at cars driven by non-blacks. And then they started pulling people from the cars and beating them. That was worse than what we're seeing right now.
Doesn't mean tomorrow won't be even worse, but perspective is good.
"Oh, nos! It's happening again! I'll lose productivity at work because of failures in all of my electronic equipment. My car won't start. I feel cancer developing in my brain right now. I can't use my oven at home!
The fact that I'm watching movies at work over my wireless provider connection is different because that isn't affected for some reason... and my air conditioning somehow still works. The fridge is fine. Those I can't explain, but everything else in my life is torn apart!!!
*posts to Facebook*"
I'm sorry, I had to. It's happened and I have to bring it to light. Ha. Light.
Trump should visit the Sun and push it aside to make it know how great he is.
I think your fingers slipped. I tidied it up a bit for ya. You're welcome.
hmm. Never mentioned Globull Wormening. Just noting that it's gotten unusually wierd out there, lately. . . .</p></quote>
True dat, and to the parent, Go-zhee-ra should stay at bay. Moving those waters can cause severe damage, as his previous movement proves. We Humans done caused the solar minimum to not be minimum, and gozheera to emerge from the waters, warmed by us and cooled by the evaporation that fed hurricanes. Damn us.. Damn us all!
"Aurorae, cold waters, and floods, OH MY!"
Hmm, you mean to say Glowbull Worming?
Worming the bright Red Bull? What has it come to these days??
Actually it's more that it didn't happen in their backyard. Given that Texas is home to about 1 in 9 people of the USA, well, a lot of folks live in Texas or have friends and relatives who do.
I daresay that to the folks in southeast Asia, hurricane harvey didn't mean a lot to them, either.</quote>
They will regret their progression as typhoons destroy their dreams(tm). Our fault. ALL OUR FAULT. Stop, USA!
Neither of these posts were worth reading. Next time don't bother.