Solar Activity

Toroid

Founding Member
Two powerful X class solar flares happened today 09/06/17. The first was an X2.2 and the second was one of the largest in a decade at X9.3.
Sun Unleashes Monster Solar Flare, Strongest in a Decade
Early this morning (Sept. 6), the sun released two powerful solar flares — the second was the most powerful in more than a decade.

At 5:10 a.m. EDT (0910 GMT), an X-class solar flare — the most powerful sun-storm category — blasted from a large sunspot on the sun's surface. That flare was the strongest since 2015, at X2.2, but it was dwarfed just 3 hours later, at 8:02 a.m. EDT (1202 GMT), by an X9.3 flare, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). The last X9 flare occurred in 2006 (coming in at X9.0).

According to SWPC, the flares resulted in radio blackouts: high-frequency radio experienced a "wide area of blackouts, loss of contact for up to an hour over [the] sunlit side of Earth," and low frequency communication, used in navigation, was degraded for an hour. [The Sun's Wrath: Worst Solar Storms in History]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d9YdXQX3z8
Published on Sep 6, 2017
September 6, 2017: A massive X class solar flare has just erupted off of the sun's surface and sent shockwaves through space directly in Earth's path. Huge flare!!
http://www.n3kl.org/sun/noaa.html
 

nivek

As Above So Below
quick_double_x_flare-1041.gif
 

Toroid

Founding Member
Auroras seen as far south as Arkansas from the sun's flare.
Stunning Northern Lights illuminate northern skies | Daily Mail Online
  • The lights are created when charged particles from the sun enter Earth's atmosphere
  • Usually the particles are deflected by the Earth's magnetic field, but some enter the atmosphere
  • These collisions emit light in many colours, although pale green and pink are common
  • Two high-intensity category X solar flares were emitted, one of which was the most powerful since 2005

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4865690/Stunning-Northern-Lights-illuminate-northern-skies.html#ixzz4s6nf0AGK
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Auroras seen as far south as Arkansas from the sun's flare.

Nice, the South doesn't get to see that very often...
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Toroid

Founding Member
There's been no sunspots for 133 days.
Earth's "Big Freeze" Looms As Sun Remains Devoid Of Sunspots For Most Of 2018
Scientists believe that Earth could experience a “big freeze” as the sun goes through what’s known as “solar minimum.” During this time, sunspots are minimal and the globe could be in for a wicked cold snap.

Scientists are reporting that the sun has been free of sunspots for a total of 133 days this year, according to The Express UK. With only 241 days of 2018 passing, that means the sun has been blank for the majority of the year. Experts continue to warn that this is a sign that the solar minimum is on its way.

“The sun is spotless again. For the 133rd day this year, the face of the sun is blank,” wrote the website Space Weather.

Solar minimum has returned, bringing extra cosmic rays, long-lasting holes in the sun’s atmosphere, and strangely pink auroras,” the website continued.

The sun follows a cycle of roughly 11 years where it reaches a solar maximum and then a solar minimum.

During a solar maximum, the sun gives off more heat and solar particles and is littered with sunspots. Less heat in a solar minimum is due to a decrease in the sun’s magnetic waves. Our sun was not expected to head into a solar minimum until around 2020, but it appears to be heading in that direction a little early which could prove to be bad news for warm weather lovers.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay__uFDO_O0
 

Toroid

Founding Member
Residents in the northern US could see auroras due to solar activity.
Earth is about to struck by a solar storm which will produce auroras above North America
he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a geomagnetic storm watch for September 11, meaning residents in the northern U.S. states may be able to see auroras tonight.

According to a map released by NOAA, people in Alaska and Canada will likely have the best views of the spectacular natural light shows, although those in the northernmost of the contiguous states—Minnesota and Maine, for example—will also have a good chance of seeing them. There is also a smaller possibility that the auroras will be viewable as far south as Iowa and Pennsylvania.

Space weather can have a variety of impacts on mankind and our technology. But the latest storm is ranked as "G2" or “moderate” on the NOAA’s space weather scale—which has five levels—meaning it likely won’t have any material affect on most people in the U.S.

In the northernmost parts of the country and Canada, however, power systems may experience voltage alarms and the propagation of radio waves may be affected. Furthermore, spacecraft operators on the ground may be required to take corrective actions as the storm could interfere with navigation systems.
 
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