Massive Solar Blast happened earlier

Post » Sun Jun 12, 2011 4:37 am

I almost forgot about this. I haven't seen anything tonight, maybe because it's hard to see Northern Lights when the sun is already starting to rise...
... or maybe there are just too many mosquitoes blocking them.
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Liii BLATES
 
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Post » Sun Jun 12, 2011 3:47 am

Well, it's that time of the year when it doesn't get dark at night anymore. The sun sets, but not enough. Shouldn't complain though, the winter will again be dark and cold :cold:

That's one of things i like about this country ^_^
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Austin England
 
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Post » Sun Jun 12, 2011 1:34 am

I'm aware that solar flares can, and have, caused damage to our electrical infrastructure, but what I'm talking about are tinfoil type dooms day scenarios. A super massive solar flare that would would wipe out all the worlds electronics and put us into the dark ages and total anarchy would ensue, that type of thing. Solar flares do pose real risks, but something like that is a worst case scenario, bordering on absurdity. Thanks for the links though, good reading.

Much military electronics are hardened against electronic warfare (i.e. people deliberately trying to knock 'em out with electromagnetic pulses and things). I imagine militaries would also have stuff stowed in safe places in case, say, some nuclear blasts released massive EMP's, thereby damaging loads of computers and suchlike.

I believe circuits that don't have any current flowing through them are much less affected by magnetism.

A solid enough Faraday cage would attenuate a pulse enough to prevent damage, and while they're not common in the average home, I doubt the most important of servers would be completely unprotected.


So, yeah... while there would be a hell of a lot of damage, including some pretty hefty economic problems, it wouldn't be the end of technology as we know it, and we would be able to recover form it.
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dell
 
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Post » Sun Jun 12, 2011 7:23 am

Oh man don't mess up the electrical grid tonight or tomorrow! We are in a major heat wave; I think it broke 100 here, and even now at 9pm it's still hot. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse, bad enough that schools have a half day because of it. It's ripe conditions for a blackout as it is, but with a solar flare? I needs me my air conditioning!
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Dustin Brown
 
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Post » Sun Jun 12, 2011 1:29 am

It's time the Sun was classified as a Galactic terrorist.
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Jenna Fields
 
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Post » Sun Jun 12, 2011 5:12 am

It made my hangover doubly painful.
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Tracey Duncan
 
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Post » Sun Jun 12, 2011 12:29 pm

I wonder if that's why my satellite went down for a bit today.
That picture is pretty cool too.
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Philip Rua
 
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Post » Sun Jun 12, 2011 6:31 am

Nothing very dramatic seemed to happen :D I didn't even see any Northern Lights.

I guess that's how the media does things. "panic panic panic" and people read their websites (and then their ads get hits and they get money.).
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Sammi Jones
 
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