• The Newest Threat to All Human Life on Earth: Solar Storms
    55 replies, posted
[IMG]http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2010/06/500x_1solarflare.jpg[/IMG] [QUOTE=http://gawker.com/5556692/the-newest-threat-to-all-human-life-on-earth-solar-storms]Oh man, ever since global warming came on the scene it seems like our apocalyptic scenarios are all rising sea levels and spreading tropical disease. Now NASA has come up with an awesome new way the earth might get destroyed. In 1859, a geomagnetic storm sparked by a huge solar flare swept over the Earth. Telegraph wires shorted out and set houses on fire. A brilliant aurora was seen in Hawaii—so bright that "people could read newspapers by [its] red and green glow." Scientists predict that in May 2013, the sun's solar cycle will peak at about the same level as in 1859. Get ready for space weather! Next week, scientists will meet at the Space Weather Enterprise Forum in DC to talk about how to prevent civilization from being destroyed in the next few years by solar storms. The ability to monitor and predict so-called "space weather"—solar flares, interplanetary magnetic fields, etc.—is a relatively new capability. But what scientists have found is sort of unsettling. They predict a marked increase in solar storms over the next few years. According to NASA scientist Richard Fisher: "The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity." This is bad news for anyone who likes electronic things. As Fisher says, "Our technological society has developed an unprecedented sensitivity to solar storms." That's because today we're so dependent on technology hooked up to satellites, which can be disabled or destroyed by huge waves of charged particles spit out by the sun during a solar storm: GPS, cell phones—even credit card transactions use a satellite. In a worst-case simulation, reported by NPR, a particularly severe solar storm not only took out the majority of commercial satellites, it also charged power lines to the point where transformers blew all over the world, "leaving millions of people in northern latitudes without power." Ideally, we could send Bruce Willis into the sun and have him put a nuclear bomb on it. But really the only thing we can do now to deal with sun storms is to predict them and put satellites in "safe" mode, according to NASA. As for all those exploding transformers and power-outages: At least we'll be able to read our newspapers. [NASA][/QUOTE] Discuss!!!!
fuck.
What are the odds of an actual solar flare getting close enough to Earth to damage anything?
It's hardly a new threat.
[QUOTE=davidofmk771;22474864]What are the odds of an actual solar flare getting close enough to Earth to damage anything?[/QUOTE] Define damage, but if you mean cut power to huge regions, 100%. It's just a matter of time.
[img]http://www.facepunch.com/ads/rating/box.png[/img]
[QUOTE=davidofmk771;22474864]What are the odds of an actual solar flare getting close enough to Earth to damage anything?[/QUOTE] Solar flairs hit earth all the time, but the earth's magnetic field deflects all the bad stuff so we don't die. Bigger ones can penetrate more though, which means more radiation will get through. Also causes electrical failure, which is the main problem.
Give me boxes if you comply
[QUOTE=soderholm13;22474892][img]http://www.facepunch.com/ads/rating/box.png[/img][/QUOTE] Was this intentional or
[B]Newest[/B] threat? Um... these things have been around for billions of years. Kinda like a wee bit before we existed.
Sappin' mah automerge! EDIT: Derp
[QUOTE=Dclone2;22474899]Solar flairs hit earth all the time, but the earth's magnetic field deflects all the bad stuff so we don't die. Bigger ones can penetrate more though, which means more radiation will get through.[/QUOTE] Yes, I know, but one big enough to pierce it.
Well atleast my computer don't get fried if I unpluck it soon enought
[QUOTE=Dclone2;22474899]Solar flairs hit earth all the time, but the earth's magnetic field deflects all the bad stuff so we don't die. Bigger ones can penetrate more though, which means more radiation will get through. Also causes electrical failure, which is the main problem.[/QUOTE] lol, no they don't Solar flares VERY rarely hit Earth, but stray radiation from the sun does quite frequently. If a coronal mass ejection ever hit us it would be deep shit, depending on where it hit.
[QUOTE=ChestyMcGee;22474907][B]Newest[/B] threat? Um... these things have been around for billions of years. Kinda like a wee bit before we existed.[/QUOTE] Yeah but dude, we do need ALOT of eletrcity and electrical communication.
[QUOTE=Quo Vadi;22474941]lol, no they don't Solar flares VERY rarely hit Earth, but stray radiation from the sun does quite frequently. If a coronal mass ejection ever hit us it would be deep shit, depending on where it hit.[/QUOTE] Then explain these [img]http://www.luontokuva.org/media/kuvaajat/profiilit/585/Revontulet.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=slamex;22475006]Yeah but dude, we do need ALOT of eletrcity and electrical communication.[/QUOTE] Define need.
[QUOTE=Raiskauskone;22475016]Then explain these [img]http://www.luontokuva.org/media/kuvaajat/profiilit/585/Revontulet.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] [quote=Quo Vadi]stray radiation does[/quote]
[QUOTE=ChestyMcGee;22475020]Define need.[/QUOTE] Need in order to live longer than 30.
[QUOTE=davidofmk771;22475046]Need in order to live longer than 30.[/QUOTE] lol no
[QUOTE=Raiskauskone;22475016]Then explain these[/QUOTE] CMEs hit Earth, not solar flares.
[QUOTE=davidofmk771;22475046]Need in order to live longer than 30.[/QUOTE] I think you fucked up your definition there, pal.
Oh fuck, will this ruin our hard drives?
[QUOTE=ChestyMcGee;22475095]I think you fucked up your definition there, pal.[/QUOTE] You have no idea how much modern farming, medicine, and travel does for us do you?
[QUOTE=davidofmk771;22475124]You have no idea how much modern farming, medicine, and travel does for us do you?[/QUOTE] You are confusing "human civilisation" with "all human life".
To human life? So all other life is immune right?
We'll survive somehow.
Just imagine the Planet Earth. Now take that planet, shrink it to the side of a bottlecap. NOW, place that in a target range. That's the galaxy for you.
[QUOTE=ChestyMcGee;22475136]You are confusing "human civilisation" with "all human life".[/QUOTE] Most third world countries have many problems with minimal technology and the people living there don't live very long because of that. Humanity needs these things, one way or another. It's called progress.
The chances of Earth getting hit with a killer solar flare is rare and even if we somehow do, we'll be fine.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.