Major Flare Today: Sun Kicks Up Biggest Storm in Years

Ivan Seeking

http://space.com/scienceastronomy/so...re_031028.html

Kerrie

it is interesting...does anyone know what time it hit earth? here on the pacific coast, at 3am i woke up to a huge power surge and then the electricity was out...

Ambitwistor

It hit last night around 10 PM PST.

Njorl

Say, I was just curious. How many of you were invited to stay in the US government survival bunker for the elite? It is hoped that we'll be able to rebuild society after the solar disaster wipes out life on the surface. I'm in sector 7-G, look me up.

Njorl

Ivan Seeking

Sorry Njorl, I had to cut life support to that sector. Before you're gone, here's an update.

http://space.com/scienceastronomy/so...re_031028.html

Kerrie

i remember learning in school MANY years ago that the sun directly affected wind...because of this flare up, will we have windy weather ahead?

wolram

http://hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov/sftheo...ns.htm#weather

There is no known relationship between individual solar flares and weather. There is, however, evidence for a relationship between the solar activity cycle and global climate. The best known case is the correlation of a long period of solar inactivity called the Maunder Minimum (1645-1715) with the lowest temperatures recorded during the "Little Ice Age" that occurred from 1500 to 1850. Almost no spots were observed on the Sun during this period. There is evidence for the correlation of other periods of low solar activity with cooler temperatures on Earth as well.
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there may be better information on the net, or PF members may
know more, i came across this one.

Ivan Seeking

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news...ew-flare_x.htm

Ivan Seeking

A related story?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3221795.stm

russ_watters

That is true, but thats got nothing to do with solar flares. Wind is a result of radiative heating of the ground, which naturally occurs on a daily cycle. In the morning, the ground is cool and about the same temperature as the air. And the air is still. By late morning or early afternoon, the ground is heated by the sun to be much warmer than the air. Warm air rises like bubbles in boiling water causing convection currents and wind.

Phobos

We had amazing "northern lights" here in NH on Oct 30. Quite the treat...I had never seen them before.

Ivan Seeking

Lucky dog! I have looked and looked but no lights on the west coast at the 45th parallel. They were seen up in Washington though.

I once got to see a glimse of them, way off in the distance, and while at 30,000 feet over Colorado. That's it for me. I would love to see a dramatic display...should have gone to Alaska this week.[g)]

KLscilevothma

Ditto [g)]

Ivan Seeking

This would be a fairly short trip for me, but this would be no small trip from Hong Kong. [:D]

KL, as I understand things, [I saw this on a TV show so who knows?] the japanese believe children concieved under the Aurora are specially blessed. Do the Chinese have any similar beliefs?

KLscilevothma

No, I haven't heard of it. [:)]
I think the next time when the sun turns so active, I won't mind travelling as close to the north pole as possible so as to witnesses a facinating auroras show. [6)]

By the way, from the pictures in spaceweather.com, the giant group of sunspots is rotating away from us.

Chronos23

A friend of mine lives in El Paso, TX he said he saw the Northern Lights.