Biggest Solar Storm in Five Years to Hit Earth

[RandySF]

WASHINGTON—The largest solar storm 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 between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. EST Thursday, according to forecasters at the federal government's Space Weather Prediction Center. They say the storm, which started with a massive solar flare, is growing as it speeds outward from the sun.

"It's hitting us right in the nose," said Joe Kunches, a scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He called it the sun's version of "Super Tuesday."

Scientists say the sun has been relatively quiet for some time. And this storm, while strong, may seem fiercer because Earth has been lulled by several years of weak solar activity.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204781804577267532079716926.html

[madrchsod]

1. i survived the last one.....lol

[GentryDixon]

2. Does that explain why

my DSL was down for the first hour I was up this morning?

When I visited my financial advisor 10 miles from where I am he was complaining about his service.

A frightening prospect of being "disconnected" from the world.

[jeff47]

3. Not unless you're in Northern Canada or Antartica...and it's tomorrow.

First, The Earth's magnetic field deflects most of the charged particles. But the shape of the field means the extreme northern and southern latitudes aren't as protected. There once was a solar flare that resulted in a widespread blackout in Canada, because the charged particles induced so much current in the long-haul electric lines that they melted. This one isn't as big as that flare.

Second, the particles haven't reached us yet. They'll get here overnight tonight.

[shraby]

4. Should be some great northern lights.

[mindwalker_i]

5. Damn it! I told the sun not to go to Taco Bell

Now look what its done! It burped, farted, or in some significant way "outgassed" and God knows we've all had enough of that lately. Ripples - RIPPLES! - spread out from the center in whorles that are bigger than the Earth, carrying enough energy to turn Enron green, or make Tepco look like a friggin firecracker, or a tiny spark.

I told it, if you're going to go to Taco Bell, against all my advice, don't get ANY bean burritos. Those things go right through you in minutes. When we're talking about the sun, going through in minutes is nothing to sneeze at! Hell, it's approaching light speed! There nothing worse than an FTL bean burrito from Taco Bell!

And for God sake, leave the Chalupas alone! Those things will kill you faster and painfully similarly to a road-side bomb. Once that Baja sauce gets going, it sets off a chain reaction opening the gates of hell to your bunghole, and when you're the sun, that's a big-ass bunghole!!

Now because the sun just wouldn't listen to me, the whole solar system's going to pay the price.