Solar storm headed toward Earth may disrupt power

Associated Press ^ | March 7, 2012 | SETH BORENSTEIN

[Free ThinkerNY]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The largest solar flare in five years is racing toward Earth, threatening to unleash a torrent of charged particles that could disrupt power grids, GPS and airplane flights.

The sun erupted Tuesday evening, and the effects should start smacking Earth around 7 a.m. EST Thursday, according to forecasters at the federal government's Space Weather Prediction Center.

[steve86]

Buy stocks!

[beethovenfan]

The sun now competing with the EPA.

[PaForBush]

Drink more Ovaltine!

[GeronL]

So how fast does a solar storm travel?

[COBOL2Java]

Getting conflicting reports. Is it expected to hit us tonight or tomorrow morning?

[Jonty30]

Depends who’s driving.

[mikrofon]

The sun erupted Tuesday evening, and the effects should start smacking Earth around 7 a.m. EST Thursday

I'm filing for solar abuse....

[tgusa]

Be interesting to see how GPS reacts, if at all.

[alloysteel]

“May” disrupt power. More hokum from AssPress.

Shame. Frightening old ladies, children and liberals.

And maybe flying monkeys will come out their collective butts.

[BIGLOOK]

Chevy Volts hardest hit!

[F15Eagle]

“Charged particles” - Deal of the Century

[GeronL]

lol

[Kimmers]

fashioning my tin foil hat now.....

[Kartographer]

Preppers’ PING!

[John W]

Believe an earlier one was due by today then this even worse one shot out.

[Freddd]

torrent, disrupt power, airplanes, smack earth..

See any hype?

[OrangeHoof]

Do I need sunscreen for this?

[nomobs]

Bush’s fault

[ZX12R]

I don’t mind a power outage now and then. It breaks up the monotony of routine everyday life. But, if I were on an operating table with my chest open, I’d mind.

[metmom]

Aurora alert time?

[vanilla swirl]

I haven’t checked so don’t know for sure about this one but Google 1859 Carrington event. A really big one could do big damage.

[catnipman]

About once a year for, oh, say, the last 20 years, the bird-cage-liner press and alphabet networks have trumpeted the coming of a solar storm that “might” knock out power and satellite communications, etc.

Not once in that time have I personally experienced or heard of power or satellite communications being affected.

[Marcella]

Sun spot activity is at it’s highest cycle this year.

[444Flyer]

Bump

SSD

[EdReform]

LOL! One can only hope!

[dragnet2]

East coast gets radiated Thursday morning..At least the sun won't be up in the west.

Some studies now suggests these large solar flares, in some cases, cause human hair to slowly become like a brillo pad.

[bgill]

It can’t be much worse than an evil SUV driving itself.

[blam]

That reminds me, Doomsday Bunkers is coming on tonight on the Discovery Channel at 10:00PM EST. (check the time for your area)

[BenLurkin]

That’s what I was wondering. Might we see the Aurora Borealis tonight in the southern latitides?

[Right Ahead]

Al Gore predicted this!

[Shadowstrike]

Got this in my email today

SOLAR ACTIVITY: Big sunspot AR1429 has unleashed another major flare—an X5-class eruption on March 7th at 00:28 UT. As a result of the blast, a radiation storm is underway and a CME will likely hit Earth’s magnetic field in a day or so. Geomagnetic storms are already in progress at high latitudes due to earlier eruptions from the active sunspot. Last night, auroras were spotted over several northern-tier US states including Michigan and Wisconsin. Check http://spaceweather.com for updates and images.

[Nik Naym]

“But, if I were on an operating table with my chest open, I’d mind.”

No you wouldn’t.

As a matter of fact, you’d sleep right through it.

[saintgermaine]

You may want to read the following article(s) and make your own case.....http://www.viewzone2.com/endtime.html ..good luck...it happened before and can happen again

[SunkenCiv]

I think this is just more AGW agitprop — these flares must have happened many times before, but we have better pictures, more reliable data, kinda like when the ozone hole was discovered, and was attributed to human activity, even though it’s a 100 percent natural phenom. When the wave rolls through and nothing happens, it’ll be used as a prop to claim that only human activity causes current climate change.

[The FIGHTIN Illini]

Now that’s funny! Thanks!