More solar images at the WUWT Solar Reference Page
From the: University of Colorado at Boulder
Space weather disrupts communications, threatens other technologies
A powerful solar flare has ushered in the largest space weather storm in at least four years and has already disrupted some ground communications on Earth, said University of Colorado Boulder Professor Daniel Baker, an internationally known space weather expert.
Classified as a Class X flare, the Feb. 15 event also spewed billions of tons of charged particles toward Earth in what are called coronal mass ejections and ignited a geomagnetic storm in Earth’s magnetic field, said Baker, director of CU-Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. Such powerful ejections can cause a variety of socioeconomic and safety issues ranging from the disruption of airline navigation systems and power grids to the safety of airline crews and astronauts.
“The sun is coming back to life,” said Baker, who chaired a 2008 National Research Council committee that produced a report titled “Severe Space Weather Events — Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts.” For the past several years the sun has been in its most quiescent state since early in the 20th century, said Baker.
From a scientific standpoint a class X event — the most powerful kind of solar flare — is exciting, said Baker, also a CU-Boulder professor in the astrophysical and planetary sciences department. “But as a society, we can’t afford to let our guard down when operating spacecraft in the near-Earth environment.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, several more coronal mass ejections may reach Earth’s atmosphere in the next day or two.
“Human dependence on technology makes society more susceptible to the effects of space weather,” Baker said. “But scientists and engineers have made great strides in recent decades regarding this phenomenon.
“We understand much more about what is happening and can build more robust systems to withstand the effects,” Baker said. “It will be interesting to see how well our technological systems will withstand the rigors of space weather as the sun gets back to higher activity levels.”
Baker also spearheaded a 2006 NRC report titled “Space Radiation Hazards and the Vision for Space.” The report considered the effects of space weather events on human explorers venturing beyond low-Earth orbit. The National Research Council is a federal organization created by the National Academy of Sciences.
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
“The sun is coming back to life,” said Baker
“Lets not be hasty,” said Treebeard.
As mentioned by others on this board, the sun during a grand minimum can still throw out class x flares.
I’m surprised that Gore, Hansen, Monbiot, et al, haven’t claimed that man-made CO2 is the cause of the solar flare and mass ejection. /sarc
Coming back to life? Old Sol is just raising his head to take a quick drink before slumping back to sleep.
The X Class flare is just the coughing and spluttering whilst taking that drink.
Let’s not forget that Dan Baker and his organization in Boulder get it’s funding through NOAA with the rationale of trying to avoid the impending “apocalypse” of solar events. See the recent cover article of the otherwise objective Sky and Telescope magazine to see how far these organizations will go to spectacularize the importance of these solar events. Ho Hum. How bad off would we really be if we didn’t funnel any more research $$$$$$ into this area? This is the weakest solar max in memory, but yet the press is full of dire predictions of the end of days. Ok, so solar flares are annoying, but let’s get some perspective.
Really!!?
Can they provide some examples (something specific; nothing speculative)?
Monitoring 10 MHz WWV the past few days I have seen no changes … 11/10 Meters was even briefly open to the west coast about midday …
.
It’s probably my fault. Trying to do what global warming cannot which is to remove the moss growing on the north side of it, I washed my Jeep this week. There’s a reason Seattle is called Emerald City, and it’s not because we’re crazy about CFL lamps. We have moss on the north side of everything here. I have an asphalt driveway and its never been so green.
So, sorry, folks – blame me.
Sadly, we have no aurora activity despite my best effort 🙁
So far here at 45N+ nothing to override the moon-when it isn’t snowing….
Notice that the Planetary A is still non-existent also:
http://www.solen.info/solar/
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/01/07/suns-magnetic-index-reaches-unprecedent-low-only-zero-could-be-lower-in-a-month-when-sunspots-became-more-active/
If the Ap is more predictive than sunspots as some believe, then added cold is still on schedule, not that the AGW/NASA types will notice.
This geomagnetic storm was only moderate as predicted, because from the location on the Sun where it came from it was evident that the magnetic field at the front of the CME would be pointing northwards and thus only interact weakly with the Earth’s field.
Wasn’t there some pretty major mass ejection on the other side of the sun quite some time ago… it just did not come our way.
Here is the impact of the X class flare on Earth’s Magnetosphere – (February, 18th 2011 Magnetosphere Activity from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N0YfHOqFsY&w=480&h=390]
You should also download and watch the much higher resolution avi version, which is very cool:
http://www3.nict.go.jp/y/y223/simulation/realtime/movie/2011/test_6.20110218.avi
For comparative reference here is Magnetosphere Activity on Feb 17th, 2011:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PUdcaMZb2A&w=480&h=390]
And here’s an M6.6-class solar flare impacting the Magnetosphere on August 3rd, 2010:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy4HgirSwjo&w=480&h=390]
which is the CME impact referenced here:
http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=03&month=08&year=2010
If you want to look at the Magnetosphere Activity simulations for any other dates, all of the downloadables can be found here:
http://www3.nict.go.jp/y/y223/simulation/realtime/movie/
http://www3.nict.go.jp/y/y223/simulation/realtime/movie/2011/
In the late 1800’s an x-flare about 100x as large caused telegraph wires to FRY and caused FIRES. Back then there was no radio, just telegraph. And there was no electrical infrastructure. A flare that big now would BURN OUT EVERY POLE TRANSFORMER ON EARTH from the induction caused in the wires feeding them. Not to mention the damage to generators getting over-amped. Experts say it would take 10 YEARS to recover. Imagine what it would do to your TV, cars computer chips or your PC
“_Jim says:
February 18, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Monitoring 10 MHz WWV the past few days I have seen no changes … 11/10 Meters was even briefly open to the west coast about midday …”
We’ve been getting brief 10/11 meter openings to the USA Downunder in New Zealand. Heard the first 10 meters FM from the USA since the previous Solar Cycle last week. Other than that generally 11/10 Meter radio conditions so far were actually better off and on last year here. IMO. I suppose if the solar disturbances ease off and if the Solar flux and Sunspot numbers do stay up. Then maybe we might see 10/11 meter band conditions as good as previous solar cycles.
Jim @ur momisugly 8:41
I think that is just a headline added by the Univ’s PR folks.
Prof. Baker doesn’t seem to be say the events so far are extremely dangerous.
John F. Hultquist says:
February 18, 2011 at 10:04 pm
I think that is just a headline added by the Univ’s PR folks.
Prof. Baker doesn’t seem to be say the events so far are extremely dangerous.
Analogous to this: http://www.leif.org/research/NASA-in-the-News.png
More NASA type hype from those looking for future funding….this is not much better than the AGW rubbish we have to put up with.
is that true craig? that’s horrifying! and how unusual are flares that size?
Off topic but… The U.S. House just voted to defund the IPCC.
Kforestcat
Solar Cycle 24 says there was a R2 Radio Blackout, which is Moderate HF Radio: Limited blackout of HF radio communication on sunlit side, loss of radio contact for tens of minutes.
Navigation: Degradation of low-frequency navigation signals for tens of minutes.
http://www.solarcycle24.com/
No light show at 53,122. Clear and a cold 23c below gore. I read David Suzuki is in Australia on some sort of a junket. Interesting to bail out of a west coast Canadian winter riding his carbon credits on a tax deductable trip down under. Looking for some warming I guess.
Remember, folks: space weather is not space climate!
@Craig, markinaustin:
Yes, it was real (although I’m not sure about the 100x). It’s generally known as the Carrington Event.
/relurk
kforestcat says:
February 18, 2011 at 10:56 pm (Edit)
Off topic but… The U.S. House just voted to defund the IPCC.
Well, not quite, but the proposal is in the air:
http://tallbloke.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/u-s-republicans-propose-to-defund-ipcc/
Thanks for the update on solar activity Anthony. Leif: Any idea whether this is temporary or a real ramp-up?
One more SSN of 100. Looks like the sun is finally racing towards max. In 2003 I calculated for the SC24 that the SSN monthly non-smoothed to get to 80.
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/NFC7.htm
It may or it may not, looks optimistic. Note this is not prediction but just a simple calculation. It should be worth seeing how it compares with the predictions of the solar experts.
Can I please make a request?
The Title states : Largest space weather storm in at least four years
so four years ago we had another weather storm.
Anthony – My media is constantly hyping ” greatest in 50 years” “highest SST temps on record” – everyone in the media is obsessed by it.
Yet the highest SST on record in Australia actually means the highest since records began in the early 70s when satellite records of sea surface records started.