Old news actually AR2665 "erupted" on July 14th and vurped a massive M2 class CME more or less directly at Earth. When it hit Earth the results were a let down.
At this point the electric industry was only just budding, with only few power or transmission lines in major areas but the impact of the CME was enough to cause the (very weak) lines to spark violently, electrocute operators and some even reported "telegraph operators could continue to send and receive messages despite having disconnected their power supplies."
https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=isbn:0309076420
This was considered a very small scale impact, and NASA and other agencies estimate that there is a 12% chance of us being hit by one in the next 10 years (as of 2012). After one narrowly missed us.
https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/23jul_superstorm/
If one were to hit today it would fry many electronics, even some that are not connected to a grid in any way, and cause widespread damage worldwide.
Fun things like "destroy satellites" and "set power stations and lines on fire."
Estimated rebuild time is 10 years +.
On the bright side (heh, pun) it looks really cool under thermal and solar intensity models: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0a/Comparing_CMEs.ogv/Comparing_CMEs.ogv.480p.webm
I love these things, because they're one of the most likely ways to kill us and there's nothing we can do about it. It wouldn't end the world, but it would definitely feel like it.
Dang @corvoattano, you're on point with flares and CME. Nice job.
Don't forget, the Carrington Event of 1859 had one fatality associated with it. One of the fires the energized wires started killed a telegraph operator.
That's right kids, a solar flares & CMEs have a body count and it's only going to be worse in modern times if it happens again. Sleep tight!
@guest, Solar flares, CME and stellar evolution have fuck all to do with global warming. Global Warming is anthropogenic. Period.
Yes, the sun in its evolution will eventually render the Earth uninhabitable, somewhere about 3-4 billion years from now as it heats up nearing the end of the hydrogen burning phase of its life.
we were talking about solar flares and global warming being connected as a joke and you came back like we were being serious so i figured must be high or at least i hope so.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection#Physical_properties
It also bathes the Earth in radiation and other fun things, especially if you are at a high altitude. Like a big mountain, or a plane. Or the ISS.
https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/the-difference-between-flares-and-cmes
Only one major one has been recorded to hit the planet directly, famously known as the Carrington event in 1859.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859
https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=isbn:0309076420
https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/23jul_superstorm/
If one were to hit today it would fry many electronics, even some that are not connected to a grid in any way, and cause widespread damage worldwide.
Fun things like "destroy satellites" and "set power stations and lines on fire."
Estimated rebuild time is 10 years +.
On the bright side (heh, pun) it looks really cool under thermal and solar intensity models: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0a/Comparing_CMEs.ogv/Comparing_CMEs.ogv.480p.webm
I love these things, because they're one of the most likely ways to kill us and there's nothing we can do about it. It wouldn't end the world, but it would definitely feel like it.
Don't forget, the Carrington Event of 1859 had one fatality associated with it. One of the fires the energized wires started killed a telegraph operator.
That's right kids, a solar flares & CMEs have a body count and it's only going to be worse in modern times if it happens again. Sleep tight!
Yes, the sun in its evolution will eventually render the Earth uninhabitable, somewhere about 3-4 billion years from now as it heats up nearing the end of the hydrogen burning phase of its life.