Posted on 07/16/2002 10:43:14 AM PDT by cogitator
SOLAR BLAST: Twisted magnetic fields above giant sunspot 30 erupted on Monday, July 15th, at 2005 UT. The explosion sparked a powerful X3-class solar flare and hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME, pictured right) into space. Although the CME was not squarely Earth-directed, it might nevertheless buffet our planet's magnetic field as early as July 16th (although the 17th is more likely). NOAA forecasters estimate a 10% chance of severe geomagnetic activity on Wednesday; sky watchers should be alert for auroras.
You may know this and asked the question in jest, but the CME is not light, it's charged particles (plasma). It has to travel 93 million miles to get here. Now 93 million miles in a day or so may not be lightspeed, but at that speed I'd get from Maryland to the West Coast (scribble scribble) in about 2.5 seconds.
For you I had them leave a little white circle to mark what you affectionately call your 'Sun'.
Cheers.
The president knows the sun is that hot, bright thing in the sky. I'd like to know what those three bright points of light are, the ones that move in the movie. There are other less-bright points as well, probably stars. Especially what are the two bright points with a horizontal line through each? And what is the one above the sun?
< democrat=liberal,whacko >
We're all going to die and it's the shrub's fault!
< /democrat >
If you go to the Web site (link in the header), I think that it indicates the points with the lines through them are planets. The bright one above the Sun should be a star.
"The orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, however, can. SOHO's coronagraph blocks the Sun's blinding glare with an opaque disk, revealing stars, planets and the Sun's faint corona. SOHO captured the above coronagraph image on July 15th. Later this week Mars will join Mercury and Jupiter in the field of view. (Note: the horizontal lines are digital imaging artifacts, not planetary rings.)"
Jupiter is to the left of the Sun, Mercury to the right.
Seems to me that going from Maryland to the West Coast in 2.5 seconds should create one hell of a shock wave and sonic boom when you slow down .. if he times it just right he could possibly level SF and LA (And all the attendant Liberals) all at the same time.
I admit there would be a lot of collateral damage (Some Redwoods, condors and a spotted owl or two) and there could be some "friendly Fire" casualtis -- but hey it's the price of doing business ;-)
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