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Solar flare nearly destroyed Earth 2 years ago: NASA
New York Post ^ | 7/24/14 | James Billington

Posted on 07/24/2014 10:51:17 PM PDT by Nachum

Two years ago we were all going about our daily business blissfully unaware that our planet almost plunged into global catastrophe.

A recent revelation by NASA explains how on July 23, 2012 Earth had a near miss with a solar flare, or Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), from the most powerful solar storm on the sun in over 150 years, but nobody decided to mention it.

Err, what? Well that’s a sobering bit of news.

“If it had hit, we would still be picking up the pieces,” says Daniel Baker of the University of Colorado.

We managed to just avoid the event through lucky timing as the sun’s aim narrowly turned away from Earth. Had it occurred a week earlier when it WAS pointing at us the result could have been frighteningly different.

“I have come away from our recent studies more convinced than ever that Earth and its inhabitants were incredibly fortunate that the 2012 eruption happened when it did,” says Baker. “If the eruption had occurred only one week earlier, Earth would have been in the line of fire.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: destroyed; earth; flare; solar
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To: Nachum

Mmm, I love the smell of hyperbole in the morning.


21 posted on 07/25/2014 3:17:27 AM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: Nachum

Obviously to some here, that since a devastating solar flare may or may not have actually happened, then it could never happen or would be only minimal effect.

So let’s go back to sleep, since we are all so safe in out nice comfy cocoons. Never Look Up!


22 posted on 07/25/2014 3:41:01 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: Nachum

two years ago? Smells like someone is wanting to fund something now.


23 posted on 07/25/2014 4:02:40 AM PDT by hadaclueonce (Because Brawndo's got electrolytes. Because Ethanol has Big Corn Lobby)
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To: Nachum

Something tells me this is overblown sensationalist drama. Scientists need to feel important at times.


24 posted on 07/25/2014 4:11:04 AM PDT by fwdude (The last time the GOP ran an "extremist," Reagan won 44 states.)
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To: Nachum; Kartographer

It would NOT have destroyed Earth.

...but just about every human would have been dead in a year or so from starvation and related issues (i.e., dirty water).

But since it missed us, WHO CARES. LOL!


25 posted on 07/25/2014 4:21:57 AM PDT by BobL
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To: Nachum
Solar flare nearly destroyed Earth 2 years ago: NASA

BULLEXCREMENT!! Next, they will tell us Obozo saved us by a miricle!! Pure Crap!!

26 posted on 07/25/2014 4:38:12 AM PDT by GoldenPup
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To: Nachum

Yeah, I noticed how I didn’t seem to need to reheat my coffee as often that year.


27 posted on 07/25/2014 4:43:43 AM PDT by equaviator (There's nothing like the universe to bring you down to earth.)
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To: Nachum

The sun was going to destroy us, but decided to back off when it saw Obama was already doing that for it.


28 posted on 07/25/2014 4:48:48 AM PDT by dforest
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To: Nachum

I was in San Juan airport during the event and all planes were grounded until the sun went down. Their sensitive instruments were definitely affected


29 posted on 07/25/2014 4:53:27 AM PDT by varyouga
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To: UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide

>> We’ve been busy looking for approaching ASTEROIDS.

I’m getting to that age where I have to keep an eye out for flare-ups of those.

They itch like all get-out.


30 posted on 07/25/2014 4:55:19 AM PDT by Nervous Tick (Without GOD, men get what they deserve.)
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To: Gaffer
Just another example of academic pandering for grants, contracts and other funding to “continue studying” a problem about which we can prevent nothing.

Given enough warning, we could have covered the Earth in a layer of aluminum foil. Voila, a faraday cage!

31 posted on 07/25/2014 5:11:57 AM PDT by Flick Lives ("I can't believe it's not Fascism!")
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To: Telepathic Intruder

He said ‘would still be picking up the pieces’ and the dumb reporters took that to mean “everyone dies”. He probably meant “Still be launching replacement satellites”


32 posted on 07/25/2014 6:11:28 AM PDT by TalonDJ
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To: Nachum

Sun found out Obama was going to be reelected ... and then just missed.


33 posted on 07/25/2014 6:24:07 AM PDT by reed13k (For evil to triumph it is only necessary for good men to do nothings)
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To: hosepipe
Exactly.

Had it occurred a week earlier when it WAS pointing at us the result could have been frighteningly different.

You know, I could have chosen to jump off the roof of the building I'm in, but instead, I chose to sit down and check out FR. Jumping would have been a frighteningly different result, too.

Must be a slow news day when they report on things that didn't happen two years ago.

34 posted on 07/25/2014 6:40:24 AM PDT by wbill
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To: Nachum

“If it had hit, we would still be picking up the pieces...”

God’s little Reset Button.


35 posted on 07/25/2014 6:49:38 AM PDT by PLMerite (Shut the Beyotch Down! Burn, baby, burn!)
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To: Flick Lives

Exclusive “Weird Al” Yankovic Music Video: FOIL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-0TEJMJOhk


36 posted on 07/25/2014 7:22:10 AM PDT by TurboZamboni (Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.-JFK)
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To: lonevoice

It kind of puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?


37 posted on 07/25/2014 9:14:13 AM PDT by Pride in the USA
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To: Telepathic Intruder; All

Several years ago, there was a study done on exactly this sort of event. It concluded that the power grid was in severe danger from it. Those lines stretch for many miles “uninterupted”. It concluded that the most vulnerable part were the huge transformers at either end, which were likely to be destroyed, and which would put out power for about 70% of the population.


38 posted on 07/25/2014 12:32:45 PM PDT by marktwain (The old media must die for the Republic to live. Long live the new media!)
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To: marktwain

I remember something similar to that, after the last big power out due to a minor problem with the grid that began in Canada. I never liked how seemingly fragile our power grid is, especially in light of possible terrorism. But it’s hard to know how serious the problem is hearing almost nothing about it.


39 posted on 07/25/2014 1:19:20 PM PDT by Telepathic Intruder (The only thing the Left has learned from the failures of socialism is not to call it that)
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To: Telepathic Intruder

I have studied it a bit. It is serious, but some steps are being taken to harden it a bit. We developed a prototype replacemnent, modular high voltage transformer...

But no steps have been taken to put it in production. It would have been a decent use of “stimulus” money.


40 posted on 07/25/2014 4:57:22 PM PDT by marktwain (The old media must die for the Republic to live. Long live the new media!)
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