Earth & Space Weather

How Recent Solar Flares Are Affecting Humans

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Submitted by Lia on

Recently we are experiencing an intensive amount of solar activity on the Sun which is affecting both the Earth and Humans.

 

solar flare

Exactly what is a solar flare and how does it affect us?

A solar flare is a magnetic storm on the Sun which appears to be a very bright spot and a gaseous surface eruption such as in the above photograph.  Solar flares release huge amounts of high-energy particles and gases that are tremendously hot.  They are ejected thousands of miles from the surface of the Sun.

X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares

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Submitted by Rain on

Source: The Watchers - 11/21/12, By Adonai

Solar flares happen when the powerful magnetic fields in and around the Sun reconnect. They’re usually associated with active regions, often seen as sun spots, where the magnetic fields are strongest. Flares are classified according to their strength. The smallest ones are B-class, followed by C, M and X, the largest. Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each letter represents a ten-fold increase in energy output. So, an X is 10 times an M and 100 times a C. Within each letter class, there is a finer scale from 1 to 9. C-class flares are too weak to noticeably...

Solar flares happen when the powerful magnetic fields in and around the Sun reconnect. They’re usually associated with active regions, often seen as sun spots, where the magnetic fields are strongest. Flares are classified according to their strength. The smallest ones are B-class, followed by C, M and X, the largest. Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each letter represents a ten-fold increase in energy output.

So, an X is 10 times an M and 100 times a C.

WOW~ Solar Flare Update We Just had an X2 Flare we are Cooking

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Submitted by Lia on

X-FLARE! Earth orbiting satellites have just detected another strong solar flare, this one from departing sunspot AR1875. The blast, which peaked on Oct. 29th at approximately 2148 UT (02:48 PDT), measured X2 on the Richter Scale of Solar Flares. NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:

Radiation storms and polar radio blackouts are possible in the hours ahead. Stay tuned for updates. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

Earthquake Report for 10/29/2013

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Submitted by Silver on

By: USGS

www.earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/

27 earthquakes

 

    5.2 134km SSE of Sarangani, Philippines 2013-10-29 11:45:26 UTC-04:00 95.3 km

    5.0 94km SSE of Nikolski, Alaska 2013-10-29 10:44:13 UTC-04:00 13.7 km

    2.5 19km W of Lompoc, California 2013-10-29 09:38:30 UTC-04:00 0.0 km

    4.3 51km WSW of Nikolski, Alaska 2013-10-29 09:34:22 UTC-04:00 19.8 km

    4.1 149km SSW of Shumskiy, Russia 2013-10-29 09:17:16 UTC-04:00 14.1 km

    5.0 25km NW of Chivay, Peru 2013-10-29 08:51:03 UTC-04:00 119.2 km

    4.5 60km S of Chirilagua, El Salvador 2013-10-29 08:44:57 UTC-04:00 52.3 km

    2.5 6km E of East Foothills, California 2013-10-29 07:42:41 UTC-04:00 6.6 km

~ Space Weather Update~ Impact and High Chance for X Class

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Submitted by Lia on

HALLOWEEN AURORAS? As October comes to an end, a series of CMEs will sweep past Earth. The first three are expected to deliver glancing blows on Oct. 28th through Oct. 30th, possibly having little effect. A more direct hit is likely on Oct. 31st when a CME from Earth-facing sunspot AR1882 arrives. It was propelled in our direction by an M4-class flare on Oct. 28th. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on Halloween. Aurora alerts: text, voice.

SUNSPOTS MOST LIKELY TO FLARE: The sun is dotted with spots, and three of them pose a threat for strong eruptions. Today's sunspots most-likely-to-flare are circled in this Oct. 29th image of the sun from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:

AR1875, AR1882 and AR1875 have 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic fields that harbor energy for X-class solar flares. One of these spots in particular, AR1882, is almost directly facing Earth, so any eruptions it unleashes would almost surely be geoeffective. NOAA forecasters estimate a 70% chance of M-class flares and a 35% chance of X-flares on Oct. 29th. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

Get ready! Hybrid solar eclipse on November 3

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Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Earthsky.org - 10/29/13, Deborah Byrd

Partial solar eclipse from Austin, Texas

Photo of partial solar eclipse as seen near sunset on May 20, 2012, from Austin, Texas. This time around, eastern North America will see a partial solar eclipse just after sunrise on November 3, 2013. Image credit: mrlaugh’s photostream

There is a special kind of solar eclipse coming up on Sunday, November 3, 2013. It’s a hybrid solar eclipse. That is, the eclipse appears fleetingly as an annular – or ring eclipse – at its start and becomes a brief total eclipse later on. But much of the world sees a partial eclipse. The eclipse will be visible from far-eastern North America, the Caribbean, northern South America, southern Greenland, the Atlantic Ocean, southern Europe, Africa, Madagascar and the Middle East. Keep in mind that you’ll absolutely need proper eye protection to watch this or any solar eclipse. Please use caution to prevent blindness or severe eye injury!

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Halloween and the Pleaides Connection

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Submitted by Desert Gypsy on

Earthsky.org - 10-29-13

Photo via Kurt Magoon on Flickr

Yes, Halloween is an astronomical holiday.

Halloween – short for All Hallows’ Eve – is an astronomical holiday. Sure, it’s the modern-day descendant from Samhain, a sacred festival of the ancient Celts and Druids in the British Isles. But it’s also a cross-quarter day, which is probably why Samhain occurred when it did. Early people were keen observers of the sky. A cross-quarter day is a day more or less midway between an equinox (when the sun sets due west) and a solstice (when the sun sets at its most northern or southern point on the horizon). Halloween – October 31 – is approximately midway point between the autumn equinox and winter solstice, for us in the Northern Hemisphere.

Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters

Earthquake Report for 10/28/2013

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Submitted by Silver on

By: USGS

www.earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/

26 earthquakes

 

    3.0 44km NW of Rincon, Puerto Rico 2013-10-28 13:17:20 UTC-04:00 15.0 km

    4.6 184km ENE of Angoram, Papua New Guinea 2013-10-28 12:23:28 UTC-04:00 34.5 km

    5.3 294km SW of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen 2013-10-28 10:54:27 UTC-04:00 10.0 km

    2.8 25km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico 2013-10-28 09:59:06 UTC-04:00 29.0 km

    4.5 84km E of Ndoi Island, Fiji 2013-10-28 07:56:00 UTC-04:00 514.0 km

    4.8 93km WNW of Kirakira, Solomon Islands 2013-10-28 07:34:52 UTC-04:00 78.5 km

    3.8 3km SW of Alberto Oviedo Mota, Mexico 2013-10-28 07:15:09 UTC-04:00 20.0 km

    2.8 55km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico 2013-10-28 06:57:26 UTC-04:00 45.0 km

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