Solar Flares: Should we worry? As we all know the sun is one of the key elements for life in our world, and on the other hand it can also be viewed as a threat to our civilization as well, which the temperamental star is capable of explosive acts of energy. Once every 11 years our sun reaches a maximum level of activity and releases great outbursts of energy known as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are a massive burst of solar winds and magnetic fields. The solar cycle was discovered in 1843 by German astronomer Samuel Heinrich Schwabe, who after 17 years of observations noticed a periodic variation in the average number of sunspots seen from year to year on the solar disk. We are now in the middle of one of those cycles, and sun activity has been intensive in 2012, and is expected to continue like this for most of 2013. Solar storms trigger the aurora borealis or “northern lights”, and depending on the intensity of the impact on our planet, then the further south they will be able to be seen. If you live in San Diego and you happen to look out the window and see these lights, then we all might have something to worry about. What exactly is a solar flare? Well according to Wikipedia, it is a sudden brightening observed over the suns surface or the solar limb, which is interpreted as a large energy release. “Radiation emitted by solar flares can affect Earths ionosphere and disrupt long-range radio communications.” The main hazard of massive solar flares is that they can trigger geomagnetic storms that have been known to knock out electric power for extended periods of time. That is a scientific fact, incidents recorded are numerous: the Carrington Super Flare (1859), the New York Railroad Storm (1921), Quebec Blackout (1989), and one of the largest solar storms ever recorded, the Halloween Flare (2003), an extremely unusual X45-class flare. As mankind becomes ever more dependent on technology, the chances increase that a large solar storm could seriously impact civilization. A 2009 NASA study raised concerns about the possible catastrophic damage a large solar storm could inflict to America. The mega storm could severely damage the power grid, leading to long-term power outages that could affect water and sewer operations, food distribution, transportation and communications. As we all know the sun is one of the key elements for life in our world, and on the other hand it can also be viewed as a threat to our civilization as well, which the temperamental star is capable of explosive acts of energy. Once every 11 years our sun reaches a maximum level of activity and releases great outbursts of energy known as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are a massive burst of solar winds and magnetic fields. Above: What if New York Railroad Storm occurred today? A U.S. map of vulnerable transformers with areas of potential system collapse encircled. The bottom line is that there is nothing we can do to stop this catastrophic event in case it happens, but also it might not happen at all. Most of solar storms are not on the direct path of planet earth, also the intensity necessary is above the average, so at some point, it’s just a matter of luck. Now let’s talk about fiction, or the mix of science fiction and half-truths. There is much information on the web about prophecies of the end of the world, apocalyptic times of natural catastrophes, volcanoes, earthquakes, and even alien invasions which in the eyes of Hollywood studios all of these events are potentially real blockbusters. Historically every decade there is always someone renewing the jingle “the end of the world”, countless excuses like the pass of a comet (Halley), a bug in our computers (Y2K), or a Mayan calendar. Many people in the 90s and early 2000s used to listen to Art Bell”, who is the American broadcaster and author known primarily as one of the founders and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program Coast to Coast A.M. Many of his guests became famous just for being invited to the program like witches, alien abductees, psychics, and remote viewer instructor major Ed Dames. The remote viewer predicted a catastrophic event that he named “The Killshot”, and all over the internet you are able to find videos or links about his visions of the end of the world, in which he mentions that the world will suffer massive solar storms that will provoke a permanent blackout sending humanity to live in caves. His website, the killshot is one of the most visited sites about this topic. On the Coast to Coast show (April 2009), Ed Dames issued some dire warning of future events: “A solar “killshot” will occur with the sun emitting some very large solar flares”. He said that people may need to be underground and have fresh sources of water to survive. If you add to this to the buzz about the Mayan calendar prophecy of the end of the world, the Pope comments “nothing is going to happen”, and the morbid love and hate relationship of our society with prophecies gives us always a story to write about. If you want to see where the world is headed, take a look at the sun but not literally, since that also can leave you blind. The world will not end on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. How do I know? Because I heard the prophecy long time ago at a midnight am radio show, when I was half-sleep, and after all these years I’m still waiting for proof that someone knows really what is going to happen in advance, do you? Well, if I’m wrong I dare you to prove me wrong but only until Saturday, Dec. 22nd. In the meantime let’s enjoy family, friends and another sunny day. sandiegored/noticias/31478/Solar-Flares-Should-we-worry/
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 00:30:14 +0000
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