What's Up in Space -- 8 Dec 2006 RADIATION STORM, ANGRY SUNSPOT...

SPACEWEATHER.COM ^ | -- 8 Dec 2006 | Dr. Tony Phillips

[fight_truth_decay]

RADIATION STORM:

A radiation storm is underway. Based on the energy and number of solar protons streaming past Earth, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)ranks the storm as category S3 (Strong): satellites may experience single-event upsets and astronauts should practice "radiation avoidance."

The rush of protons may be a sign of an approaching CME (coronal mass ejection). Protons are accelerated in shock waves at the leading-edge of CMEs, so when the proton count rises, we can guess that a CME is en route. Northern sky watchers should remain alert for auroras, which could flare up if and when a CME arrives.

ANGRY SUNSPOT:

Radio astronomer Thomas Ashcraft knew something was up yesterday when a loud roar came out of the loudspeaker of his 22 MHz shortwave receiver in New Mexico: Sunspot 930 had exploded again. The X6-class (Big-Major Event) flare sent shock waves billowing through the sun's atmosphere, producing among other things a Type II solar radio burst: listen.

In Los Angeles, California, Gary Palmer watched the explosion through his Coronado SolarMax90:

NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of another X-flare during the next 24 hours. Further explosions could intensify the ongoing radiation storm and improve the chances for widespread auroras. Stay tuned.

BONUS: Even between explosions, a lot is happening around sunspot 930, as shown in this movie from French astronomer Pascal Paquereau. To create the animation, he combined "17 pictures taken every 2 minutes through my Coronado PST."

[fight_truth_decay]

Trouble with links go to http://www.spaceweather.com/, will eventually respond.

Note: In the novel Congo, by Michael Crichton, a CME is what disrupts the transmission from the Congo research team's computers to the satellites and back to Houston.

[kinoxi]

When is it supposed to hit?

[Tall_Texan]

Those Russian spy killers are taking things too far now...

[daku]

A radiation storm is underway. Based on the energy and number of solar protons streaming past Earth, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)ranks the storm as category S3 (Strong):

Bushs fault

[rovenstinez]

Maybe reason #2 that they scrapped the Discovery?

[taxesareforever]

satellites may experience single-event upsets and astronauts should practice "radiation avoidance."

This is humorous. "Look out for that streamer! Move a little to your left! Wow, that sure was close. Look out! Here comes another one!

[kinoxi]

Quite a quandary, post#3-Putin's fault, post#4-Bush's fault. I think it might just be an angry sun god, we should sacrifice al gore just in case...

[txroadkill]

cool, will this turn the astronauts into those fantastic 4 guys????

[SubMareener]

Probably reason #1, but they used the clouds for cover ;-)

[fight_truth_decay]

When the solar cloud reaches the Earth as an ICME (Interplanetary CME), it may disrupt the Earth's magnetosphere, compressing it on the dayside and extending the nightside tail. When the magnetosphere reconnects on the nightside, it creates trillions of watts of power which is directed back towards the Earth's upper atmosphere. This process can cause particularly strong aurora also known as the Northern Lights (in the Northern Hemisphere) and the Southern Lights (in the Southern Hemisphere). CME events, along with solar flares, can disrupt radio transmissions, cause power outages (blackouts), and cause damage to satellites and electrical transmission lines. The largest geomagnetic perturbation, resulting presumably from a "prehistoric" CME, coincided with the first-observed solar flare, in 1859. The flare was observed visually by Richard Christopher Carrington and the geomagnetic storm was observed with the recording magnetograph at Kew Gardens.

Don't know..do you think it made all the animals of late turn on man? ;)

[KoRn]

Too many beings driving SUVs on the Sun it appears!!

[fight_truth_decay]

Laughs! @ used the clouds for cover ... I wondered if this had anything to do with the cancellation myself.

[Myrddin]

Ed Dames spoke about multiple flares coming one after another in relation to his "kill shot" event. Those are some pretty big X class flares. If the cloud cover stays away, it could produce some nice auroras.

[null and void]

*groan*

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

Prepare... tinfoil... hat...

[SubMareener]

Haven't you heard? Tin Foil Hats are a Government Plot! They actually serve as antennas at important mind control frequencies!

[SuziQ]

Heads up!

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

Bummer...The lead hat weighs too much but I guess it'll have to do.

[LonePalm]

Self ping for later.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[ASOC]

Crud!

There goes 20M....