Huge Solar Flare Erupts from Biggest Sunspot in 24 Years

[Mister Nightowl]

Source: Space.com

by Tariq Malik, SPACE.com Managing Editor | October 25, 2014 06:37am ET

The biggest sunspot on the face of the sun in more than two decades unleashed a major flare on Friday (Oct. 24), the fourth intense solar storm from the active star in less than a week.

The solar flare occurred Friday afternoon, reaching its peak at 5:41 p.m. EDT (2141 GMT), and triggered a strong radio blackout at the time, according to the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center. NASA's sun-watching Solar Dynamics Observatory captured stunning video of the huge solar flare.

The flare erupted from a giant active sunspot known as AR 12192 and was classified as an X3.1-class solar storm — one of the most powerful types of solar storms on the sun — but it is not the first time the sunspot has made its presence known.

"This is the fourth substantial flare from this active region since Oct. 19," NASA spokesperson Karen Fox wrote in a status update.



Read more: http://www.space.com/27540-huge-solar-flare-from-giant-sunspot.html

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Great pics and video at the link. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma has just released a statement claiming that the flare is a hoax.

[Louisiana1976]

1. I find stories like this fascinating. A big solar flare,k if it hits Earth, can cause an EMP effect.

[Mnemosyne]

3. I've read it's called the Carrington Effect. Scary to consider what would happen at over 400

nuclear power plants worldwide without power, anywhere.

[NutmegYankee]

6. They have backup generator systems.

And a solar storm wouldn't cause transportation damage so fuel could be delivered without many issues. The Tsunami in Japan wiped out the roads and flooded the generators.

[Mnemosyne]

8. Good to know, thanks. nt

[RobertEarl]

15. Let's hope you are right

Because if a CME hits earth, the grid could fry causing electricity to quit being transferred, and many places will be in the dark for weeks, maybe months.

It has been said electrical components will also be fried, components like those on generators and electrical pumps.

Congress had some hearings on this matter some time back and all the scientists warned of the possibility of serious harm.

Of course, we all recall the old claim that nukes are safe - yadayadayada.

[NutmegYankee]

16. It would only damage electrical grid components.

The power lines would have voltages induced by the wildly swinging magnetic fields. That's why telegraph lines were impacted in the 1800s. The voltages induced would damage transformers and the like attached to the grid. Smaller electronics separated from the grid, or surge protected, wouldn't have enough exposure to the magnetic fields and would be fine.

[RobertEarl]

17. Not what I heard

A CME -Coronal Mass Ejection - produces an EMP -Electro Magnetic Pulse - which would burn most any electrical device. The military has these Faraday cages that they surround (harden) their electronic equipment from EMP.

The latest big EMP was produced from nuclear weapon testing. Military found their equipment fired and so they applied science to find out why. EMP did it in. Hence the Faraday cages.

[NutmegYankee]

18. In Military tests the EMP didn't affect small isolated systems.

A grounded Generator will survive just fine. Unlike in the movies, the effects are never total and impact long wired electrical systems the most. The military figured it out because they knocked out a few power systems in the Pacific. The Movie scenes of cars stopping and every device being fried is pure science fiction. Earth's magnetic field isn't strong enough to fry your cell phone in a solar storm,, but a very large nuke might get it done.

The real danger is anything on the electrical grid could get hit with 100,000 volts. But cars, generators, and any non-plugged in device will survive.

[RobertEarl]

20. It wasn't as powerful as the Carrington event

Modern society hasn't had such an event of the scale as the Carrington. It's all a big guess at this point and let's hope you are right: Nukes will be safe after such an event. Personally; nukes are not safe now, nor after a CME.

There is a saying, and it is the absolute truth:

"You push something hard enough, it will fall over"

[NutmegYankee]

21. Actually the Nuclear bomb EMP is worse.

The tests easily reproduced the Carrington effect in long transmission systems. A solar storm won't damage small systems, like cars or generators.

[RobertEarl]

23. Nuclear bomb more powerful than the sun?

I don't think so.

You should call congress and tell them, tho, if you are so certain that we have no fear of CME. While you're at it, make sure they do know that nuke weapons should be done away with. At least you'd have one thing absolutely correct.

[NutmegYankee]

24. Yes. The localized effect through all frequencies of a high altitude nuke is worse.

If you have evidence otherwise, and you no doubt don't, please present it. You distort my statement about CME. I clearly and repeatedly stated that electrical systems are at risk, but small isolated systems are not. You can't refute that, and because it counters your fear of nuclear power, you distort and smear what I said.

[RobertEarl]

28. "... your fear of nuclear power,..."

Right, nothing to fear of nuclear power. Sure. Sure.

The subject here is the sun. You claim they have reproduced the ultimate power of the sun, and I say: No, they haven't. They can't possibly replicate that power. They can estimate, and the real science says that the estimate is that the sun could fry every electro magnetic piece of equipment we have joined together.

I don't fear the sun so much as respect the sun. But, yeah, man made nuclear power in the hands of the idiots who count their profits? Fear is quite wise. Indeed, there was this fellow named Einstein, who thought so first, way before any of us ever even considered it. You want to lump me in with Einstein, and his understanding of man made nuclear power? Go right ahead.

[NutmegYankee]

29. As I expected, you got nothing.

You lose.

[RobertEarl]

30. I got Einstein. That's gotta be good for something.

Now I am just laughing at you. Thanks for the laugh.

[NutmegYankee]

31. You're welcome!

Your problem is you don't understand what you are talking about. You can make as many snarky comments as you like, and twist things however you feel, but in the end, you're still like a creationist going up against a biologist. You might think you won, but the world thinks differently.

[RobertEarl]

32. What about Einstein?

Are you a biologist?

You got something against Einstein, too?

[NutmegYankee]

33. Einstein was a pacifist, he feared the use of a bomb, not electric power.

He died before commercial power became common. One of his last acts was to sign a letter opposing the cold war arms race.

Einstein was brilliant, but his opinions were formed like everyone's, a mix of core feelings about the world and life experiences. I don't look to others to form my opinions, I form my own. For instance, Einstein had lived through two world wars, and seeing the rapid build-up in bombs, probably thought in his days that mankind was headed for extinction in the near future in a third.

As for science, I have a scientific background and work as an engineer. I refer to biologists because it is well known that creationists substitute their belief that they are 100% correct in their viewpoint for knowledge of the topic. If you believe evolution is BS because of faith, it drives people with no scientific background to debate well knowledgeable people in biology, and subsequently get their asses handed to them. But they believe so strongly that they are right that they don't realize they lost. They actually think they won. This is a reminder that strong beliefs are not a substitute for facts.

My problem when discussing physics topics with You is don't have formal physics training and you often don't understand. Saying "I don't know" is an acceptable answer. You instead go on a distortion method and try to swing the issue in another direction. For instance, the sun versus a high altitude nuke blast. The Sun is far larger and massive in power, but it is 92,960,000 miles away and a CME only releases a tiny bit of it's energy. A nuke exploding near the ionosphere radiates in many more frequencies close to the ground, whereas the sun really only does one frequency in a CME and we only catch a portion of the particles. Distance of course matters too. Imagine watching a nuke explode 200 miles away, and then the guy standing next to you detonates a stick of dynamite. Which one hurts you? But a nuke is millions of times more massive! Oh right, distance. Nukes have a worse EMP for that same reason - they are like dynamite right next to you.

[RobertEarl]

34. That's your belief, then

Very good, you explained yourself well. You have a belief that you are sticking to.

I would imagine you also believe that the nuke explosions burned up all the telegraph wires in Nevada? <grin>

Hmmm. We do know that sun, even from so far away, did burn telegraph wires all over. But the nukes didn't except in a few local places.

Still stuck on that belief system you have cooked up?

[NutmegYankee]

35. It's facts, not beliefs.

Please re-read post 16. Your statements above are in complete error.

The power lines would have voltages induced by the wildly swinging magnetic fields. That's why telegraph lines were impacted in the 1800s. The voltages induced would damage transformers and the like attached to the grid. Smaller electronics separated from the grid, or surge protected, wouldn't have enough exposure to the magnetic fields and would be fine.

You of course, would understand this if you had ever had E-theory. But like nearly all of the physics you mention, you don't really know it and can't mathematically describe it. Which one of us is the "creationist"?

It's perfectly honest to oppose nuclear power because it scares you. It's honest to say that people make mistakes, and the power is too great for mere humans to wield. It's honest to say that you don't trust corporations to do the right thing. But don't argue physics when you don't have the background. Seriously!

[RobertEarl]

37. I see

You are so smart. How dare I question your beliefs.

Yet you have to stoop so low as to label me a creationist. That means you lose.

[NutmegYankee]

38. Whatever makes you feel better.

BTW, I didn't call you a creationist - I used it as a metaphor to describe your behavior. This would be an example of figurative (as opposed to literal) speech.

[snooper2]

22. it's okay, that won't happen due to the chemicals World governments are putting in the sky

Those chemtrail sprays actually go up into the mesosphere and have ionizing properties. Once any electromagnetic radiation hits that layer neutral isotopes help create a refraction effect. The only thing you should worry about is the moon being damaged.

[NutmegYankee]

25. ...

[Brigid]

27. Oh no! Quick! Somebody call Glenn Beck!

[airplaneman]

13. The Carrington Effect is a Geomagnetic storm phenomenon not an X-ray burst phenomenon.

X-class flares cause HF comm fadeout which means aircraft can loose radio communication.
X ray flares can also be dangerous to astronauts.
The two are different phenomenon - both are awesome
-Airplane

[Mnemosyne]

14. Thanks for the knowledge, Airplane. I come here to learn.

[NutmegYankee]

36. ElectroMagnetic Pulse.

A surging magnetic field induces a current in electrical systems that damages those systems. Electricity is created by moving a magnetic field across wires, the flux of which generates electricity. Imagine the childhood experiment where you connect a light bulb to wires and create an inductor loop in the middle of the wire - moving a bar magnet in and out of the coil produces electricity and makes the bulb glow.

EMP generates unwanted electricity that can overload electrical systems or damage electrical circuits.

[hedgehog]

2. Any chance of aurora Borealis down in the continental US from this?

[red dog 1]

5. Aurora Borealis in the continental US is definitely possible, if you have a clear sky.

but that's just an educated guess on my part..I'm no astronomer.

[red dog 1]

4. K&R...Thanks for posting

Last edited Sat Oct 25, 2014, 08:07 PM - Edit history (1)

I've been following this sunspot for the past few days on another website

http://www.solarham.net/

The curious thing is that so far, none of the X-class flares has produced any significant Coronal Mass Ejections (CME)..however, the X-3 flare yesterday did produce a "narrow CME", but it was not Earth directed..
(According to solarham/24, "No Earth-directed CMEs were observed&quot

That region of the Sun, 2192, could still produce more huge flares, which COULD produce a CME, which, if "Earth-directed", could damage Earth-orbiting satellites and the electrical grid.

Space.com is a great site...Thanks.


UPDATE:
Region 2192 continued to be productive on Saturday with an X 1.0 solar flare peaking at 17:08 UTC
(From Solarham.net)

[shenmue]

7. Oh noes!

The sun blowed up! Somebody broke the sun! Do we have another one?

[pscot]

9. Look! A picture!

AR2192 remains the largest and most active sunspot of the current solar cycle. Earth-directed explosions are likely this weekend. NOAA forecasters estimate an 85% chance of M-class flares and a 45% chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours. Solar flare alerts: text, voice

RAPID FIRE X-FLARES: Flares have been predicted, sunspot AR2192 has complied. In the past 24 hours, the giant active region has produced two X-class solar flares: X3 (Oct. 24 @ 2140 UT) and X1 (Oct 25 @ 1709 UT). Using a backyard solar telescope, Sergio Castillo of Corona, California, was monitoring the sunspot on Oct. 24th when it exploded, and he snapped this picture:




Both X-flares produced brief but strong HF radio blackouts over the dayside of Earth. Communications were disturbed over a wide area for appeoximately one hour after the peak of each explosion. Such blackouts may be noticed by amateur radio operators, aviators, and mariners.

Interestingly, none of the X-flares from this active region has so far produced a major CME. The latest eruptions on Oct. 24-25 appear to be no exception. As a result, Earth-effects may be limited to the radio blackouts. However, stay tuned for updates as analysts look more carefully at coronagraph data for signs of an incoming CME.

[tecelote]

10. Imagine the chaos if a solar flare knocked out communications for one hour.

How possible is it?

[raven mad]

11. And if the clouds cooperate (not for a few days, it's snowing) -

the Aurora will be out in full force! There are a LOT of compensations for living this far north!

Thanks for the post!

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

12. You forgot about Darrell Issa

He is calling for an investigation into how President Obama created this flare to distract everyone from Benghazi.

In other news, Sen John McCain was seen waving his fist at the flare and yelling at it to get off his McMansion's lawn.

[Cha]

19. Our internet provider in Hawaii told us the Solar Flares were responsible for our losing our

connection for a couple days.. about 3 weeks ago.. and here they are again. Still having some problems but not today.

Mahalo Mister Nightowl the link so I could see what these Solar Flares are all about.