Posted on 06/13/2015 5:28:41 AM PDT by BenLurkin
After flying 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) since its Feb. 11 launch, the Deep Space Climate Observatory, DSCOVR for short, will look to the sun starting next month and warn people about solar ejections that can damage Earth's magnetic field and disrupt the grids, global positioning systems and communications networks.
The satellite is part of a system that the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, uses to warn power companies, airlines and other susceptible industries about potentially adverse conditions.
"It is probably one of the most important links in the chain," said Howard Singer, chief scientist at the center, who likens the satellite to a warning buoy at sea. "If you don't have the input, you cannot run the model that is going to tell you about the activity."
DSCOVR is going through instrument checks that will take about a month, Singer said. When those are complete, the Earth will have 30 to 60 minutes' notice on the composition of the next coronal mass ejection headed our way. Ejections are explosions of the magnetic fields and plasma from the sun. Hundreds occur each year depending on the sunspot cycle, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the vast majority don't come Earth's direction.
A disturbance of the magnitude of the 1859 Carrington Event, which caused the failure of telegraph systems in North America and Europe, could cost $1 trillion to $2 trillion in the first year and take four to 10 years to recover from, according to a National Research Council report.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Wouldn't that be "DISCO" for short?
So, the ship is going to use radio waves to warn us of an attack by other radio waves. Do the radio waves from the ship travel faster than the waves from the sun?
Sure would be nice if power companies would get over their “Just-in-time” crap and stock up on some large transformers, so as to give this country any hope of recovery after an EMP or serious Solar Storm.
Indeed, I’d like to have that explained, although I think the answer is that solar wind is the issue and slower than C
If the space buoy were hillary, I’d support the project.
Aren’t the destructive particles from the sun actually traveling significantly slower that light?
“Coronal mass ejections reach velocities between 20 to 3,200 km/s (12 to 1,988 mi/s) with an average speed of 489 km/s (304 mi/s), based on SOHO/LASCO measurements between 1996 and 2003.”
No, I said hand me the buoys.
Yes, the solar wind moves around a million miles per hour while C is much faster!
Copy of a recent notice:
Joint USAF/NOAA Solar Geophysical Activity Report and Forecast
SDF Number 163 Issued at 2200Z on 12 Jun 2015
IA. Analysis of Solar Active Regions and Activity from 11/2100Z to
12/2100Z: Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours.
The largest solar event of the period was a C4 event observed at
12/0206Z from Region 2360 (N15W68). There are currently 5 numbered
sunspot regions on the disk.
IB. Solar Activity Forecast: Solar activity is expected to be low with
a chance for M-class flares on days one and two (13 Jun, 14 Jun) and
expected to be low with a slight chance for an M-class flare on day
three (15 Jun).
IIA. Geophysical Activity Summary 11/2100Z to 12/2100Z: The geomagnetic
field has been at quiet levels for the past 24 hours. Solar wind speed,
as measured by the ACE spacecraft, reached a peak speed of 557 km/s at
11/2131Z. Total IMF reached 10 nT at 12/2047Z. The maximum southward
component of Bz reached -4 nT at 12/1451Z. Electrons greater than 2 MeV
at geosynchronous orbit reached a peak level of 8585 pfu.
IIB. Geophysical Activity Forecast: The geomagnetic field is expected
to be at quiet to active levels on day one (13 Jun), unsettled to active
levels on day two (14 Jun) and quiet to unsettled levels on day three
(15 Jun).
III. Event probabilities 13 Jun-15 Jun
Class M 30/30/20
Class X 05/05/01
Proton 05/05/01
PCAF green
IV. Penticton 10.7 cm Flux
Observed 12 Jun 137
Predicted 13 Jun-15 Jun 140/135/130
90 Day Mean 12 Jun 125
V. Geomagnetic A Indices
Observed Afr/Ap 11 Jun 009/011
Estimated Afr/Ap 12 Jun 009/011
Predicted Afr/Ap 13 Jun-15 Jun 012/015-013/016-007/010
VI. Geomagnetic Activity Probabilities 13 Jun-15 Jun
A. Middle Latitudes
Active 35/40/25
Minor Storm 10/15/05
Major-severe storm 01/01/01
B. High Latitudes
Active 15/10/15
Minor Storm 30/30/30
Major-severe storm 45/55/30
I just wish they could simply say something more like:
“no problem for next 7 hours for U.S. from 3 A.M. to 10 A.M.
Then, possiblility of some static on shortwave.
Or
In 6 hours, starting at 8:20 PM, grab your ankles, a BIG “OH $HIT” is gonna hit!! Get out the candles!
Sure. Has anything been done to protect the grid from bearded ferals?
not radio waves - plasma, energized gas ejected from the Sun
When hits earth magnet fields the plasma follows the field
lines and smashes into the upper atmosphere causing auroras
The effect is to induce tremendous electrical currents in earth shortening out electrical systems and blowing transformers
In 1989 caused blackout of much of Quebec
I love DISCO...
...and I hear that it's making a comeback!
How does the “space bouy” protect the earth by sending the message YOUR EFFED?
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