An ancient solar storm approximately 9,200 years ago raises concerns about the potential impact of similar events today. A recent discussion highlights the risks of a Carrington-type solar storm, which could be catastrophic in our technology-dependent society. The 2012 solar storm incident serves as a reminder of how close we came to experiencing such an event. Additionally, the conversation touches on the possibility of other catastrophic events occurring without leaving a trace. The discussion emphasizes the need for awareness and preparedness for solar storms and other natural disasters.
I think that even a simple repetition of the Carrington event will be disastrous. We do not have to look at an event 9,000 years ago. 160 years are sufficient.
It seems every kind of event where the Earth survives shows a scar of some sort that scientists can discover. Only a catastropic event of a similar type occurring over another might destroy any prior evidence but we would never know because there’s no evidence to know.
Theres an interesting book on catastropic events called The Doomsday Book where several different types of events are described and their aftereffects are explained in greater detail.
Partial solar eclipse from Twizel, South Isl., New Zealand ...
almost missed it due to cloud, didnt see max at 0710 NZST as it went back into cloud.
20250922, 0701NZST
Canon 6D II 70-200mm @200mm,
F4, 100th sec, 1600ISO
Makeshift solar filter made out of solar eclipse sunglasses
3I/ATLAS, also known as C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) and formerly designated as A11pl3Z, is an iinterstellar comet. It was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) station at Río Hurtado, Chile on 1 July 2025.
Note: it was mentioned (as A11pl3Z) by DaveE in a new member's introductory thread.
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/brian-cox-lead-me-here.1081670/post-7274146
https://earthsky.org/space/new-interstellar-object-candidate-heading-toward-the-sun-a11pl3z/
One...
Is a homemade radio telescope realistic?
There seems to be a confluence of multiple technologies that makes the situation better than when I was a wee lad: software-defined radio (SDR), the easy availability of satellite dishes, surveillance drives, and fast CPUs.
Let's take a step back - it is trivial to see the sun in radio. An old analog TV, a set of "rabbit ears" antenna, and you're good to go. Point the antenna at the sun (i.e. the ears are perpendicular to it) and there is...