Nasty Solar Storms Ahead

[w5hro]

"The sun is about to get a lot more active, which could have ill effects on Earth. So to prepare, top sun scientists met Tuesday to discuss the best ways to protect Earth's satellites and other vital systems from the coming solar storms."

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/active-sun-solar-storms-100609.html

"People of the 21st century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life. But smart power grids, GPS navigation, air travel, financial services and emergency radio communications can all be knocked out by intense solar activity."

[wb4kvz]

Yeee Hawww,
SUNSPOTS!

[ka3zlr]

Yeah....

 I'm not being a Smarty but this country
shoulda never put all it's eggs in SAT's.

Oh well..

Conditions Conditions any Conditions we'll take'em. 

73
Jack.

[N8LGU]

Right now, I see SF:75, A:5, K:1. Ho hum...

[k4kyv]

A non-story if I ever saw one. There are more solar flares during a sunspot maximum. They sometimes cause the HF bands to go completely dead, referred to as a radio blackout, and can affect electric power transmission lines.

This is like predicting that we will have severe thunderstorms and tornadoes during the upcoming summer months, and that some could produce severe damage, possibly fatalities. The lowest frequency bands, particularly 160 and 80m will become largely unusable due to QRN.

I remember in the mid 70s, during the CB boom, when the sunspot cycle was in a low phase, in a local Boston newspaper there was a doomsday article that revealed the "secret" that within a few years, as the sunspot cycle moved into a higher phase, there would be daily skip propagation on 11m that would render CB useless for local communication beyond distances of about a mile. The implication was that CB, as it was known then, was about to cease to exist.

Duh!

Hey, it's 6:30 in the evening right now. I predict that within 3 hours the sun will disappear completely. It will be totally dark outside, and impossible to participate in daily activities without an artificial source of light! Yikes! Don't say I didn't warn you.

[K5WLF]

For those with iPhones, there a pretty neat app called "3D Sun". It's from STEREO, the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and has color images and some time lapse clips. Had a nice clip of today's CME.

ldb
K5WLF

[flintstone mop]

Is this "story" from the same people who said we should be in the next cycle now??
And agreed major storms happen during a cycl.....unless very unusual weird things happen out there.

Fred

[Opcom]

The news yesterday was blaming the sun for issues with cellphone data services (www connections). I have not noticed anything.

[flintstone mop]

The cellphone dilemma is from system overload and all these texters,video streaming,music, etc over the system..it's a bad disease!!!!

Fred

[Ed/KB1HYS]

a disease?  which the system or the cell phones?

[Opcom]

I can go off the grid and disconnect the DSL for a couple days if I have to. Last storm was not oo bad, nothing like that was needed.

[Ed/KB1HYS]

The storm of 1859 does present an interesting dilemma though, if it did happen again today all the iPhones with those fancy apps would probably go blank. If the 1859 storm really did have the power to short across telegraph lines and start wildfires then you can just imagine what it would do to modern day electronics and especially to all of the satellites in orbit. ...

Wow, imagine the horror. People would actually have to TALK to other people instead of texting or staring at a 1.5x1.5 inch video screen (they will so need glasses) or maybe people will pull those crappy ear buds out of their heads (and not have to get hearing aids at 40) and actually say Hi to their neighbor.  Perhaps folks will remember what it's like to sit and talk over a card game (with real paper cards) over a couple of cold beers.   Maybe kids will rediscover that playing stick ball in the street with a purloined broom stick and old tennis ball was way more fun that a mind draining App on a tiny gadget.  Maybe...

When did I turn into my Dad?

[k4kyv]

Are Uranus & Neptune responsible for Solar Grand Minima and Solar Cycle Modulation?

http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1005/1005.5303.pdf