The sun produced another X-class solar flare today. Even though the responsible sunspot was located behind the edge of the sun, enough radiation reached our planet to cause a strong shortwave radio blackout.
X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: So long, and thanks for the X-flares. Departing sunspot AR2994 unleashed another X1-class solar flare today, April 30th @ 1347UT, as it exited the Earthside of the sun. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded a spectacular plume of debris flying up and over the sun’s northwestern limb:
Even with the sunspot completely hidden behind the edge of the sun, the explosion still produced enough radiation for a strong shortwave radio blackout over the mid-Atlantic Ocean and much of Europe: map. Signals below 30 MHz were attentuated for nearly an hour.
Full article at spaceweather.com
Plot for those interested
How far back does the monitoring of solar flares go? Where can you find that historical data?
I’d say back to the Carrington Event. But I’m not sure if Carrington knew what he was looking at.
He didn’t know, but he recorded his observations in detail.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101081655332&view=1up&seq=351&skin=2021
1975-2017 here:
https://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/SEP/seps.html
Last 25 years CME catalogue
https://cdaw.gsfc.nasa.gov/CME_list/
Here is another view
There were few minor flairs in last 2-3 days
Oh, that’s nasty.
Cleveland.
This sort of image suggests Earth is perhaps becoming overdue for another Carrington Event. It would cause vastly more damage than in 1869. Back then, the only long electrical lines were low voltage telegraph wires run along railroads. Sparks flew. Now, we have the entire Electrical T&D grid. Plus a lot of ‘short distance’ but VERY voltage sensitive electronic stuff not EMP hardened to MilSpec.
Because of Florida lightning, our building was retrofitted last year to be fully surge protected, and every electronic device in our unit is also surge protected because the building wasn’t.
But not our basic incoming building electrical supply from FPL. They hardened against hurricanes, not Carrington level space ‘weather’.
1859
I was on the air at the time and the only signals you could hear well were local, like out to 200 miles. Everybody just faded away.
And this wasn’t even a near miss.
talking to a mate today about the damage a hefty flare could do
and the reliance on all electric, chipped devices over old style like our cars etc
when we do get a ripper the damage will be widespread
Anyone know what a Carrington would do to EVs?
Recharge the battery? 🙂
I’m not familiar with EV circuitry details, but all EVs have a Battery Management System (BMS) that controls the charge and discharge of the traction batteries. An EMP would fry the control chips, and realatively little would go in or out of the batteries. So, just like every other car on the road (except for a few old Diesels and military vehicles that are EMP hardened) you would have a non-operational, non repairable (for the first several months) anchor weight.
On the other hand, if there was a sufficient surge bypassing the isolation of he batteries, they could start going off like small bombs with a subsequent fire that is not easily extinguished.
Just a WAG with the same amount of thought behind it as most “climate scientists” give to their serious reports.
Modern cars have plenty of chips. For the past few years, car manufacturers have had to curtail building cars because of the chip shortage. Even Diesels no longer have mechanical metering of the fuel injection. They have a “common rail” high pressure line with electronic metering valves. Scary.
My 2020 Kia is “drive-by-wire” so I assume a Carrington-type event would leave me thumbing for a ride.
My classic carbureted 1984 pickup truck might survive. It does have a rather crude transistorized ignition system but it’s wrapped in a all metal shell so I can hope.
I guess I’d only be able to ride my old Harley.
Gets mighty cold around here in the winter so that would be the worst time to have another Carrington event.
I have a 1968 classic Triumph sportscar….this may become my main mode of transport!
A no nonsense, plain daily view of the sun is below. And perhaps those expecting a weak solar cycle are not correct, tho it is early.
The current cycle has been much more active at the onset than was anticipated.
The largest X level event observed was in 2003. I remember reading this back then.
Latest Sun Flare Put at X28, Strongest on Record | Space
This was obviously a result of human-caused climate change. Everything else is…
Is there nothing that man-made emissions can’t do?