Must Watch Solar Flare Video - Stunning Detail!

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around a video showcasing a solar flare, highlighting its stunning detail and the participants' reactions to it. The conversation includes references to the timing of the flare, related solar phenomena, and resources for further information on solar activity.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses excitement about the video, noting it as the best solar flare footage they have seen.
  • Another participant identifies the date of the flare as July 19, 2012, prompting a discussion about the source of this information.
  • Some participants share links to additional resources, such as spaceweather.com, for tracking solar activity and its effects on Earth.
  • There is a discussion about the speed of plasma movements during solar flares, with one participant questioning if the observed speeds exceed typical values.
  • Another participant mentions the time compression factor in NASA's timelapse movies of solar flares, speculating on how events unfold over time.
  • Participants reference the impact of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on Earth's magnetic field and the potential for geomagnetic storms.
  • One participant raises a question about a bright flash observed in the video, speculating on its cause, while others suggest it could be an artifact of digital imaging.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion includes multiple viewpoints regarding the interpretation of the video and the nature of solar phenomena. There is no consensus on certain technical aspects, such as the speed of plasma or the cause of specific visual effects in the video.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various sources and observations, but there are limitations in the assumptions made about the video and the phenomena discussed, including the lack of clarity on the time scales involved in solar flare events.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those engaged in heliophysics, solar activity enthusiasts, and individuals seeking to understand the implications of solar phenomena on Earth.

davenn
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Solar Flare Must Watch!

guys and gals

if you haven't seen this video of solar flare yet, then hold onto your seats!
make sure you view it in full screen mode :smile:http://www.space.com/19873-blazing-arc-rains-fire-on-sun-magnetic-solar-flare-loop-video.html

I have seen many flare videos over the years but the detail in this one is truly stunning
the best I have ever seen

unfortunately, due to no date given, I don't know when this video was taken

cheers
Dave
 
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Astronomy news on Phys.org
That was awesome! Never ever seen one like that before!

Edit: The flare occurred on July 19th, 2012.
 
where did you read that date ? I must need new glasses


edit: DUH right near the start
ya know I had played that twice before and didn't see that

definitely new glasses haha
 
And at the top of the article too.

:-p
 
Nice. :smile:
 
You might like to bookmark this site.. http://spaceweather.com/
or find "NOAA NWS Space Weather Prediction Center" in your favorite social media network for information when not to trust your GPS or unplug your electronic device especially if you don't have surge protector, among other info.
 
Dotini said:
http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=12&month=07&year=2012 <---spaceweather.com, July 14, 2012
"The arrival of the CME shook Earth's magnetic field, which in turn induced electrical currents in the ground at Arctic latitudes."

Nice, you found the time machine of the site. The CME from July 19 eruption in the OP did not hit Earth, but July 12 eruption did.. Earthsky reported it too.. http://Earth'sky.org/space/auroras-widely-seen-july-14-chance-on-july-15-too
and NASA.. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/News071212-X1.4flare.html
 
You might like to bookmark this site.. http://spaceweather.com/

been there for a good number of yrs :smile:
I have been into solar activity since long before the internet existed
Was routinely doing sunspot drawings and aurora observations from the early '70'sDave
 
  • #10
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  • #11
My jaw literally dropped when I saw the Earth scale model! What's with that big bright flash between 3:33-36 at around 1'oclock...lightning? Does that even happen on the sun?
 
  • #12
What's with that big bright flash between 3:33-36 at around 1'oclock...lightning?


I had to play it a few times to catch what you were referring to
hard to say what it was ... another brief bit of flaring or maybe an artefact with the digital imaging ??

cheers
Dave
 
  • #13
Oz Ramos said:
My jaw literally dropped when I saw the Earth scale model! What's with that big bright flash between 3:33-36 at around 1'oclock...lightning? Does that even happen on the sun?

I believe the movie was made by taking exposures over several hours, so the quick flash was probably an event several minutes long. Still not sure what it was though.
 
  • #14
Are those pieces of plasma really going so fast as to move from the top of the flare to raining down on the sun in a matter of seconds, or am I seeing some kind of heat/shock wave? If those are the actual bulk motions of the plasma, then those particles appear to be traveling well in excess of 10,000km/s which is 1/30 c! o.O

EDIT: Wait, Drakkith says it's a long exposure...so they aren't moving as fast as I thought...any estimates on the speeds then?
 
  • #15
From what I've read, typical bulk motion of plasma in solar flares is in the vicinity of 150-300 km/s at the flare onset(in some cases as high as 1000km/s). Lower for long-lived flares. The velocities quickly decay to 30-60-ish km/s.

Google "solar flare non-thermal plasma velocities" and you'll find some papers discussing the observations.
 
  • #16
Does anyone know the approximate time compression factor involved in the NASA timelapse movies of solar flares?

I'm guessing that stuff unfolds slowly over hours, whereas in sci-fi movies or even documentaries it happens in similar time to the timelapse movie!
 
  • #17
"NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Solar and Heliospheric Observatory captured September 10th, 2014's X1.6-class flare and ensuing coronal mass ejection (CME)." http://www.space.com/27107-powerful-solar-x-flare-pointed-at-earth-video.html
http://www.space.com/27126-solar-flares-northern-lights-displays.html
Powerful solar flares from the sun this week may amplify the northern lights displays over parts of the northern United States through the weekend, space weather scientists say.

The forecast for potentially supercharged auroras comes after powerful solar storms fired off eruptions of solar material, first on Monday (Sept. 8), then again on Wednesday (Sept. 10). During Wednesday's solar flare, the sun unleashed a major X1.6-class flare directly at Earth. While aurora activity could spike overnight tonight (Sept. 11), the best chance of strong northern lights displays along the northern U.S. states will be Friday night.

Back-to-back solar flares prompt strong geomagnetic storm watch
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...lares-prompt-strong-geomagnetic-storm-watch/#

Some pretty awesome images of the sun and it's flares.
http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/potw/
 
  • #18
http://spaceweather.com/
SOLAR STORM UPDATE: The first of two CMEs expected to hit Earth's magnetic field on Sept. 12th has arrived, and a minor (G1-class) geomagnetic storm is underway as a result of the impact. The second and potentially more powerful CME is still en route. NOAA forecasters say geomagnetic storming could become strong (G3-class) during the late hours of Sept. 12th and Sept 13th after the second CME arrives.

The next CME, now only hours away, was launched by an X-class flare, so it is potent. However, not every potent CME produces a potent geomagnetic storm. It all depends on the inner magnetic architecture of the CME, which is unknown until the CME actually arrives. NOAA forecasters are estimating a 45% chance that strong magnetic disturbances will reach mid-latitudes on Sept 13--almost like a coin toss.
 
  • #19

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