Posted on 01/02/2024 5:35:10 AM PST by Red Badger
(NEXSTAR) — A massive solar flare — the largest in years — was spotted on the sun on New Year’s Eve, sparking a warning to some high-frequency radio users.
In an update Sunday evening, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) released an image of the flare, which appeared as a large, glowing spot on the sun. You can see that image below.
“A flare is an eruption of energy from the sun that generally lasts minutes to hours,” the SWPC explains. This one in particular, which peaked just before 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, was categorized as an X5 flare.
An X5 solar flare detected by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center on December 31, 2023. (NOAA SWPC; cropped)
Solar flares are classified based on their strength, much like earthquakes, according to NASA. The scale ranges from B-class on the lowest end to C-class, then M-class, and finally, X-class. Each letter represents a ten-fold increase in energy output, and there is a scale of 1 to 9 in each class, except for X-class. X-class flares can exceed 9, with the largest-ever recorded being an X45 that occurred in 2003.
Flares that are B- or C-class are too weak for us to notice on Earth, NASA explains, and M-class flares “can cause brief radio blackouts at the poles and minor radiation storms that might endanger astronauts.” X-class flares can cause more noticeable impacts, like radiation storms that can impact satellites and give small radiation doses to airplane passengers flying near the poles. NASA notes that they can also cause “global transmission problems and world-wide blackouts.”
At an X5, Sunday’s flare was much smaller than the flare recorded in 2003. It was, however, the strongest since September 2017, when an X8.2 flare was detected, according to the SWPC. This flare also supersedes an X2.8 solar flare reported in the same region of the sun on December 14. At the time, the SWPC reported that flare was “likely one of the largest solar radio events ever recorded.”
The SWPC said those using high-frequency radio signals (like emergency managers) may notice a “temporary degradation or complete loss of signal on much of the sunlit side of Earth” as a result of Sunday’s solar flare.
For the rest of us, the SWPC said we “need not be concerned.” While a coronal mass ejection (CME) — which can cause northern light displays on Earth — was detected in connection with Sunday’s solar flare, the chances of any of us seeing the aurora Monday night appear slim.
The SWPC’s current forecast shows only a few states have a chance at catching the auroras Monday night. Much of Alaska and Canada have a high likelihood of seeing the northern lights while some states — Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine have slim chances (denoted by the light green and red “view line” on the map below).
The aurora “may become visible along the horizon,” the SWPC said Monday.
A minor geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for Tuesday, though the likelihood of seeing the aurora appears even slimmer then, per the SWPC’s current forecast.
Solar activity and CMEs are only expected to be more common in 2024 as the sun continues through Solar Cycle 25. Solar cycles are 11-year periods when the sun flips its magnetic poles, sparking space weather like flares and CMEs, which are explosions of plasma and magnetic material from the sun that can reach Earth in as little as 15 to 18 hours, NOAA explains.
Those CMEs that do impact Earth not only cause auroras but can impact our navigation, communication and radio signals.
While it may sound alarming, you shouldn’t expect a five-day blackout and grounded flights if the aurora brightens up your sky.
There are resiliencies built into our electrical grids, flights, and communication systems to prevent or diminish any impact, Dr. Delores Knipp, a research professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at the University of Colorado Boulder, told Nexstar in October. In fact, you may not even notice a solar storm has hit us (like Sunday’s solar flare). SWPC’s Rob Steenburgh previously told Nexstar that they “happen all the time and are no cause for alarm.”
“Some people worry that a gigantic ‘killer solar flare’ could hurl enough energy to destroy Earth, but this is not actually possible,” NASA previously explained. Plus, solar cycles repeat every 11 years. That means anyone over the age of 11 has already lived through a solar maximum (and probably didn’t notice its occurrence).
An added bonus of the current solar cycle? The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, will occur near cycle maximum, meaning a good show for skywatchers, NOAA explains.
As ship to shore communication became available, it furthered the mystery as these ships & planes not only disappeared they also sent out no distress communications.
Thus, ships & planes disappeared without any attempt to communicate their situation. Of course all mysteries have understandable answers, and as technology advances answers are explaining some of those disappearances as their discoveries are found and more information can be gleaned to solve the "mystery". Those that are still not found and identified, still remain a "mystery" due to the fact that no facts can be stated to dispel the "mystery".
One of the definitions of mystery is; Something secret or unexplainable; unknown.
So it depends on what you mean by the word mystery, for it has several meanings.
However, one explanation as to why ships & planes go missing, is the understanding that sunspot eruptions have been known to cause tools such as compasses to spin out of control, which would cause navigation to be imperiled. Another explanation is that storms seem capable of coming from nowhere to create dangerous conditions to take boats by surprise. in both old & current times.
Its just one of those fake mysteries.
The stories are made up and the insurance companies and Coast Guard don’t find the problems that the mystery writers write about.
Blatantly false. Insurance companies paid the claims because there was no evidence to prevent them from paying out the claims. In absence of evidence, they are compelled to honor the contract and pay the claim based upon the only fact they have at their disposal, that the ship or plane is missing.
Coast Guard gave their opinions, but still couldn't provide any facts, to put into perspective, where these ships or planes were to be found at with any specificity.
For all they knew was the ship of plane was missing. If in reality it had been secreted off to a place unknown, they had no evidence of that at all, or they would have provided that evidence had they known.
Again, one definition of a mystery is; Something secret or unexplainable; unknown. These disappearances fall into the unknown category. While plausible explanations were put forth, there was no evidence to confirm or dispel the mystery. Because the facts were, wait for it, "unknown".
Murders are a mystery, until they are solved. Depending on the evidence presented in court, the murder can be said to remain a mystery, at least by some.
People who go missing, and are never found are considered to be mysteries. Are they still alive or were they victims of an accident, or perhaps even a murder.
While these ships & planes that have come up missing, have been taken by some people and provided hypothetical mythical explanations as to the cause of their disappearance. That still does not dispel that those disappearances remain a mystery, but the hypothetical mythical explanations are most likely not the answer at all. Bit it still remains a mystery as to what did happen.
Your point is in regards to explanations, and has nothing to do with mysteries whatsoever. Learn that words have meanings. Mysteries do exist. Explanations can be incorrect.
What was the fate of Jimmy Hoffa? Please provide a detailed explanation with the facts. If you are unable to do so, then it remains a mystery, does it not?
The Coast Guard says there is nothing to the tales and I didn’t say the insurance companies didn’t pay, I said the insurance companies say there isn’t anything to the tales.
The insurance companies charge the normal rates for the area because they have no reason to raise them.
As I said, mysteries exist, explanations may be incorrect.
The same can be said about conspiracies. They exist, however, some claims of conspiracy may be incorrect.
Again you keep ignoring my posts, the events aren’t real, the writers make them up or go get them from anywhere and place them in that area, or they ignore the follow up reporting of the yachts showing up days later with engine trouble, or the writers write fake stories about a normal ship loss in a storm and telling their suckers that it was a calm and sunny day, etc.
The only mystery is why people buy the books and believe them, the claimed.
There isn’t anything unusual going on in the “Bermuda Triangle” that is why the insurance rates don’t reflect any of it, or the Coast Guard seeing any of it.
“Today, virtually every building has electrical wiring. “
Good to know!
Sun spot explosions actually do make compasses spin around out of control, which would in turn cause issues with navigation of either a boat or a plane in severe weather conditions.
But claims of some secret reason behind the Bermuda Triangle are hyped up to give the impression something else is at play other than weather & also the possibility of sun spot explosions affecting equipment functions. But again, those are no mysteries, those are explanations for the mysteries.
If losses are unusual in that area you should notify the insurance companies that they are losing money on ships and plane disappearing, and notify the Coast Guard that they are overlooking the same in their records and searches, and rescues of the heavily trafficked area, since both still believe that all this disappearing stuff is nonsense.
Besides that, I have never believed that the Bermuda Triangle held any significant reason for the number of crafts that have gone missing. The more likely reason for the number of disappearances has more to do with jet streams & preferred routes for shipping lanes. As far as planes go, that has more to do with locations of military bases. As planes also go missing in the Pacific too, mostly from military bases in San Diego.
But again, you are talking about explanations for the mysteries, not the mystery of where they went down & the circumstances that they were brought down. That's the mystery that exists.
But I am beginning to believe, what your true motivation here is to create a fight with me to show that you are smarter than I am. Sadly, you failed with your attempts, yet you keep insisting upon crediting words I never stated whatsoever, as being stated by me. I stated the mysteries were real, which you insisted were not real. You never said that the Bermuda Triangle is not real. However, the Bermuda is real. If it weren't we wouldn't be talking about it. what is not real is that the Bermuda Triangle holds any special reason for the crafts to go missing. It is merely an area that has seen a number of crafts go missing, with no explanations as to where and why they went missing. There is nothing sinister about that region, but it is a region where storms can appear rather quickly and affect even very experienced shipping personnel & pilots. But it has nothing to do with events that are unexplainable once facts become know as discoveries are made as to the location and inspection of the crafts are added to the facts list.
If the numbers of losses are normal, then nothing is causing anything there, because nothing is happening.
And there is no official or defined area of the “Bermuda Triangle”.
Obviously there were causes, & people who lost friends & relatives would adamantly disagree with your claim that nothing is happening there. Not only are crafts lost, but people have also perished. I personally cannot speak with regards to the normalcy of the disappearances, because the sinister connotations associated with the area, are of no interest to me personally. I am only interested in what others have garnered from their investigation via examining the found wrecks tell and their identification process of those wrecks are, period.
As I keep saying, you are continually trying to put words into this discussion I have not even stated. You asked why these disappearances are not mysteries. Your question was wrong on its face, because there are indeed mysteries associated with these disappearances. However, you never mention that the explanations for these mysteries that were of some unseen forces is what you were talking about. But even on that topic you are wrong, because there are unseen forces that play a role, just as there are unseen forces that play a role on the movement of large bodies of water, both fresh & salt water bodies with regards to currents, tides, and waves that has nothing to do with sinister connotations whatsoever. But unknown knowledge leave rise to superstitious explanations. But I was unaware of the point you were insinuating, because I am not a superstitious person to begin with, so why would that have ever even cross my mind as to what you asked in rather poor fashion?
And there is no official or defined area of the “Bermuda Triangle”.
That's like saying certain things are not happening because the press is not reporting them. Just a plain stupid statement.
Officially there is no invasion taking place in the US, using your logic. There is a disputed designation for the Bermuda Triangle, but only is size and shape of roughly the same area, but all are triangular in shape nonetheless.
Well, I tried but you are too far gone.
Look up why your fantasy is an urban myth, a good book you can read is “Bermuda Triangle Mystery - Solved”
https://www.amazon.com/Bermuda-Triangle-Mystery-Solved/dp/0879759712
Make sure you contact the real-life people like the Coast Guard and insurance companies and tell them your current theories on something called “The Bermuda Triangle” and how they are missing so many disappearances that they aren’t aware of.
Whatever, idiot. You’re beyond hopeless, because you are clueless.
You just don’t understand that the Bermuda Triangle stuff is just a phony story, the real world of shipping, flying, risk insurance, and rescue/security forces all know that it is isn’t real and is just like all the other crazy myths created to sell books.
Spent months doing ASW ops looking for Russian subs in the Saragasso Sea and the Bermuda Triangle. Nothing weird to report.
I don’t know why a guy like that wouldn’t google the myth busting and debunking of the supposed Bermuda Triangle if it is so important to him, maybe read a book exposing the hoax, perhaps contemplate why the real world that lives in and travels the area scoffs at the goofy hoax books, challenge himself some before so deeply absorbing this kind of stuff.
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You further suggest that no hidden forces had caused any of the crafts to go missing. Well, that too is not factual, but is has nothing to do with the Bermuda Triangle, but rather it has possibility & enough of a degree of probability to be a cause for other crafts to become lost due to navigation issues, as sun spot eruptions are known to cause compasses to spin out of control. It has been documented as doing so. Thus unseen forces could have played a role in the disappearances of some crafts.
You just refuse to accept the fact sun spots disrupt the magnetic field it also creates, for it acts similar to a power surge in an electricity line.
I have stated many times, that I am not a superstitious person, so I don't think in terms like you, that the mystery has something to do with the hype about the Bermuda Triangle. I merely mentioned the Bermuda Triangle to begin with as an example of how sun spots may interfere with certain equipment, but only at certain times for places in the wrong place at a given time where the sun spot eruption reaches the earth.
You can have the last word, but this stupid ignorant argument has gone on long enough.
My brother was a Sea Stallion Crew Chief in ASW in the second half of the 60s.
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