Giant sunspot convulses but all quiet on the aurora front … for now

universetoday.com ^ | February 4, 2014 | Bob King on

[BenLurkin]

What a crazy sunspot cycle. Weeks go by with only a few tiny spots freckling the sun, then all at once a monster group big enough to swallow 10 Earths rounds the eastern limb and we’re back in business. I’m happy to report we’ve got another behemoth snapping and crackling with M-class (moderately strong) flares – Active Region 1967, a hunk-a-hunk of burnin’ funk that rounded the solar limb a week ago.

NOAA weather forecasters predict an 80% chance of continued M-flares and a 50% chance over the next 3 days for considerably more powerful X-class flares. This sunspot group has a delta classification magnetic field, the Facebook equivalent of “It’s complicated”.

[gorush]

Call me a Luddite, but I yearn for the time when communication moved at the speed of a ridden horse. Our poor planet is suffering the effects of “Future Shock” and I don’t expect it to end well.

[SkyDancer]

[Nowhere Man]

Call me a Luddite, but I yearn for the time when communication moved at the speed of a ridden horse. Our poor planet is suffering the effects of “Future Shock” and I don’t expect it to end well.

I won't go that far but I think we do depend on things like the internet too much and we put all our eggs into that basket. I'm an amateur radio operator and I think it is a mistake for a lot of countries and others to drop shortwave broadcasting and go online only. I think the internet is like the Tower of Babel, take a few hits here and there and it will come crashing down.

[familyop]

M-class flares ain’t doodly squat. Get ready for the big freeze in 3-9 years. Have fun. Enjoy the slide.

[gorush]

An “expertly aimed” X flare occurs all the time...in geologic time periods. The most recent, in the middle 1800’s, I believe, fused (welded) telegraph devices. A similar occurrence today with a society that runs on fragile circuit boards would be crippled... and you don’t even have to wait for the sun to do it, an EMP would do the same and could be delivered anonymously. “We live in interesting times”.

[hadaclueonce]

If we don’t save the sun, life on Earth does not have a chance.

/obvious face palm

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

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