Comments on: A reminder to us flyspecks on an elephant’s butt

By: solar flare cycle

solar flare cycle — Sun, 18 May 2008 16:03:53 +0000

[...] solar cycle, which had a cycle maximum of only 98,5, and thus was only a ???moderate??? cycle. …http://wattsupwiththat.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/a-reminder-to-us-flyspecks-on-an-elephants-butt/SPACE.com — Sun’s Next Stormy Cycle Starts… has begun it’s next cycle of activity, part of an [...]

By: Brian D

Brian D — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:40:05 +0000

Looks like a Tiny Tim is trying to form in the N.Hemi. and there is activity coming into view along the equatorial area.

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/mdi_mag/1024/latest.html

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/mdi_igr/1024/latest.html

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By: CodeTech

CodeTech — Thu, 08 May 2008 23:14:18 +0000

So, let me see if I have this straight…

YOU guys are saying that a gigantic fusion reactor several thousand times the size of our planet, which is continually emitting vast quantities of energy in all directions and occasionally spits a little extra here and there, and is already known to be the difference between almost absolute zero and the relative comfort we have now, could possibly be responsible for any slight warming or cooling we observe?

That sounds, quite frankly, absurd. In fact, I can hold out my hand and completely block the sun, therefore it can’t be very important to us here on earth. I mean really, it’s 93 million miles away, therefore any effect has to be minor.

Okay – done with my sarcasm…

It’s too bad so many people in this world are confusing Science with this AGW crap. Science is fascinating: it’s the reason I do what I do in life, and discoveries in Science benefit everyone directly. If the general public was aware that the sun could hiccup and take out our global communications and power, they might JUST start to accept that it could also be responsible for our long term climate… and for that matter, our short term climate.

Pioneers such as Carrington should have inspired generations of people fascinated with his discoveries, and genuinely attempting to understand what happened that day, and how to avoid being affected when it happens again. Instead we have kids in school learning about Polar Bears dying from daddy’s SUV. It’s so incredibly pathetic to watch.

By: Beano

Beano — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:30:08 +0000

NASA are well into Space weather. It is in their interests to be. From the first space flights they have been discovering information about solar activity that affects their own activity in space.
Sun spot solar flares were a factor in bringing down Spacelab back in 1979.
Photo Voltaic cells (Solar cell panels) were originally thought by NASA to have an indefinite life in Space. Solar flare activity reduces the life back to 4 or 5 years or in case of a direct hit by a large incident degrades the life to 2 or 3 days.
An unprotected Astronaut space walking or walking on the moon would certainly face dire consequences if hit by a solar incident.

A study has been made of the worst case scenario if the Earth received a direct hit by a super solar flare as per the NASA article. Makes sober reading.
One of many studies commissioned by NASA.

http://personals.galaxyinternet.net/tunga/SSTA.pdf

By: Evan Jones

Evan Jones — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:41:36 +0000

The sun seems to spend around 25% of its time in a major minimum phase. (Just add up the last 5 and divide.) So it is a primary driver with big swing effects.

As for the more proximate issues, I tend to look more towards the sea. Ocean and ocean/atmospheric cycles seem to drive the climate in terms of multidecadal trends.

By: Luke

Luke — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:17:56 +0000

Just discovered this site recently and have to say it is an excellent resource in the battle against the cult of man-made global warming. While I have no qualms with being “environmentally minded” the lengths the environmental movement has gone to control our every thought and movement is staggering to me.

I’ve suspected for some time that the sun has a great deal of impact on our climate and and the title of this post reminded me that most people really have no concept how large the sun actually is. We see it as a rather small globe in the sky, but how big is it really? On one hand we have an object that encompasses roughly 98% of the total mass in our solar system, on the other we have a compound that roughly composes 0.03 to 0.06 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere.

The sun is the proverbial 800 lb gorilla that nobody seems to want to talk about! Thanks for bringing it the attention it deserves.

By: sravana

sravana — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:11:46 +0000

Thanks, Anthony! It’s fascinating stuff! :)

By: Ralph Short

Ralph Short — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:59:53 +0000

Believe me, if this happens anytime soon Al Gore will visit Oprah and tell us it is all due to “global warming”.

By: John Van Krimpen

John Van Krimpen — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:41:56 +0000

Perhaps Jimi Hendrix say some purple Haze, was there one in the begiining of the sixties. Could explain a few things people saw or perhaps not.

By: sravana

sravana — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:40:24 +0000

Is it possible to provide a link to that article at NASA? I can’t seem to find it in the article, and I’m very interested in browsing the Science Portal.

FWIW, you guys (plus Ponder the Maunder) have converted me from someone who wanted Al Gore to run for President to someone who is looking forward to wearing wool socks in Texas. ;) Thanks!

REPLY: Here is the link to the NASA article and Science Portal:

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/06may_carringtonflare.htm

Glad to be of help – Anthony

By: Douglas Hoyt

Douglas Hoyt — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:24:06 +0000

William Derham of Upminster, England also observed a white light flare on the sun in 1705. He described it as lightning on the sun in a letter to the Royal Astronomer Flamsteed. The original letter is now in the Flamsteed collection at the Cambridge University Library. Evidence for the flare also exists in ice cores where it shows up as a spike in the nitrate concentration.

Derham was an active observer of sunspots from 1703 to 1715. He recorded sunspot observations on 1613 days. The sunspot peak in 1705 was very weak and there was never a case during that sunspot cycle where more than one sunspot group was on the sun on any day.

By: Brian D

Brian D — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:15:34 +0000

I remember in the mid 80′s,(forget the exact year) I was walking in town in N.MN and I looked up and the sky(2/3′s of it N. to S.) was a purple, wavy haze. And directly above was a perfect circle of clear sky. Just like the eye of a hurricane. You could see the stars. The waves just went around it. Very eerie feeling. Never seen anything like it before or since.

And, NO, I wasn’t on anything.( for those thinking of Jimmy Hendrix’s song “Purple Haze”) LOL

By: jmrSudbury

jmrSudbury — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:02:54 +0000

Is there any chance of having such a flare during the solar minimum period? Perhaps that is why a probe is being commissioned to be sent into the solar atmosphere:

http://www.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/pressreleases/2008/080501.asp

And I had heard it was tree branches in Ohio — not a squirrel.

John M Reynolds

By: Retired Engineer

Retired Engineer — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:46:49 +0000

As demand for power gets closer to, or exceeds, generating capacity, the system becomes more vulnerable. Even a small event can have major impact. (a squirrel? Really?) Fibre optic is great for telecom, but not much good if you have no primary power source. How much of our commerce depends on direct communication? Mother Nature can swat us any time she feels like it.

Fortunately, beer is not affected by CME’s or EMI. The cellar is cool enough to keep it fresh even if the fridge goes out.