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Huge Solar Flare! 10/24/03
http://www.sunspotcycle.com/ ^ | 10/24/03 | FoxNews, www.sunspotcycle.com

Posted on 10/24/2003 3:50:19 AM PDT by GRRRRR

SOLAR EXPLOSIONS: Solar activity is high. An intense X5-class solar flare erupted today (Oct. 23rd at 8:35 UT) from sunspot 486 near the sun's southeastern limb.

The explosion hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space. See the movie. Although the CME was not Earth-directed, it could deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field as early as Oct 24th (although the 25th is more likely).

Sunspotcycle.com

Another CME was already en route when this morning's explosion occured. Pictured right, it was launched on Oct 22nd by an explosion near sunspot 484. Forecasters expect it to arrive on Oct. 24th and possibly trigger a strong geomagnetic storm. Sky watchers at middle latitudes should be alert for auroras.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: electricity; flare; geomagnetic; michaeldobbs; signsandwonders; solar; solarflare; solarflare2003; sun
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To: snopercod
Neutrons wouldn't seem to be a huge problem unless there are a solid mass of them coming at high speed. Since they are electrically neutral, there wouldn't be a mechanism for collecting and strengthening a stream of them as there is for electrons and positrons, so they will be a diffuse flow. To interact with nuclei they would have to hit nuclei directly, and that would be not all that common. Granted if there is a sufficient concentration and the nuclei are unstable, there could be problems, but overall we should not fear neutron bombardment.
41 posted on 10/24/2003 12:57:14 PM PDT by RightWhale (Repeal the Law of the Excluded Middle)
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To: snopercod
Doesn't look *too* bad at the present:


42 posted on 10/24/2003 1:00:38 PM PDT by _Jim ( <--- Resources on Solar effects, effects on satellites)
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To: *all
Anyone else have a "brown out/surge" at about 2:50pm CDT?

We had a HUGE brownout, and my dad said they lost power about a 1/2 mile from my office.
43 posted on 10/24/2003 1:13:15 PM PDT by Johnny Gage (Have you ever imagined a world without hypothetical situations?)
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To: RightWhale
NASA has always been hush-hush about the dosimeter readings for the astronauts. It would be interesting to know how many rems they accumulate during six months on the ISS. Or maybe not...
44 posted on 10/24/2003 1:15:25 PM PDT by snopercod (Donning tinfoil hat now)
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To: Molly Pitcher
That's the only thing that almost always comes from these storms.

I have never lost power, never lost tv, never lost my cell phone, despite multiple flares coming our way in the past couple years.

45 posted on 10/24/2003 1:19:46 PM PDT by rwfromkansas ("Men stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up as if nothing had happened." Churchill)
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To: snopercod
That was Alderon.
46 posted on 10/24/2003 1:21:04 PM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: GRRRRR
See also these RELATED threads:
Solar ALERT: Large CME at 3 AM EDT: possiblepower, communications disruptions October 24
      Posted by cogitator
On 10/24/2003 7:40 AM PDT with 33 comments


NOAA News ^ | 10/24/2003 | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
     
 
Huge Solar Flare! 10/24/03
      Posted by GRRRRR
On 10/24/2003 3:50 AM PDT with 45 comments


sunspotcycle.com ^ | 10/24/03 | FoxNews, www.sunspotcycle.com
     
 
Big Solar Storm Will Hit Earth Friday
      Posted by webber
On 10/23/2003 9:03 PM PDT with 131 comments


CBC News ^

THE SUNSPOT CYCLE
      Posted by Mike Darancette
On 10/24/2003 9:54 AM PDT with 7 comments


Marshall Space Flight Center ^ | 10/23/03 | Marshall Space Flight Center

47 posted on 10/24/2003 1:28:23 PM PDT by RonDog
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To: RonDog; All
Has anyone seen anything tonite???

Sky conditions here in n.e. Ohio are favorable, and looking n.n.w., above the treeline, I see a rosy glow which reminds me of 2 years ago.

I'm going to wait 20 minutes or so, and check again...

48 posted on 10/24/2003 7:12:30 PM PDT by Molly Pitcher (Is Reality Optional?)
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To: kayak
Check my note just above...
49 posted on 10/24/2003 7:13:52 PM PDT by Molly Pitcher (Is Reality Optional?)
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To: Molly Pitcher
Too overcast in west Michigan to see anything.

If I hadn't just winterized the cabin I would go over there for the weekend and do a little sky watching.

50 posted on 10/24/2003 7:19:11 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (It's none of your business what I do in the woods nosy Humans!)
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To: GRRRRR
Although the CME was not Earth-directed, it could deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field as early as Oct 24th

So what happens if Earth takes one on the chin from one of these monster explosions ?

51 posted on 10/24/2003 7:23:39 PM PDT by Centurion2000 (Virtue untested is innocence)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear
Yes, that cloudcover is headed this way, so if there's to be a night....this is it.
52 posted on 10/24/2003 7:33:35 PM PDT by Molly Pitcher (Is Reality Optional?)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Another AP line: " It's Bushe's fault"... so scream the liberals !!!
53 posted on 10/24/2003 7:36:36 PM PDT by ejo
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To: Centurion2000

This is the earth.

This is the earth after being hit by a solar flare.

Any questions?

54 posted on 10/24/2003 7:41:46 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (It's none of your business what I do in the woods nosy Humans!)
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To: Molly Pitcher
That's exactly what happened to me here in n.e. Ohio! First inkling of it on FR when I did a late night check....about 10:30, and ran outside. WOW! It was either Oct or Nov....

There's a new major event this AM, linked from Drudge to SPACEWEATHER.COM. It's an X-17 class flare, which they say is the biggest since 89 when there was an X20, which caused the Canadian power grid to fail. However, in the background they say there was an X20 in Jan 01. Now, that might be the event we both remembered, but I think what they're saying in the "since '89" bit is that this is the largest flare pointed towards earth and the Jan 01 event wasn't pointed to earth. I didn't find an event for October or November of 01 of any great magnitude, so I don't know what event you and I saw, but my memory of the timing is about the same as yours.

They are saying this event today could cause northern lights down to the lower latitudes tonight or tomorrow. We'll have to hope the clouds clear up here in Memphis.

55 posted on 10/28/2003 10:34:07 AM PST by Phsstpok (often wrong, but never in doubt)
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To: Phsstpok
Thanks!! We have a chance for clear skies tonite (Wed)!
56 posted on 10/29/2003 3:55:56 AM PST by Molly Pitcher (Is Reality Optional?)
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