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[NEWS]☛ Solar Storm could hit Earth

What would u do without electricity?

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Get ready for a 'global Katrina': Biggest ever solar storm could cause power cuts which last for MONTHS

• Earth is overdue a solar storm as the sun enters its most active period
  

The world is overdue a ferocious 'space storm' that could knock out communications satellites, ground aircraft and trigger blackouts - causing hundreds of billions of pounds of damage, scientists say.

Astronomers today warned that mankind is now more vulnerable to a major solar storm than at any time in history - and that the planet should prepare for a global Katrina-style disaster.

A massive eruption of the sun would send waves of radiation and charged particles to Earth, damaging the satellite systems used for synchronising computers, airline navigation and phone networks.

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Imminent: The world got a taster of the sun's explosive power last week with the strongest solar eruption in five years (white flash, centre) sent a torrent of charged plasma hurtling towards the world. Scientists believe we are overdue a ferocious solar storm.

• If the storm is powerful enough it could even crash stock markets and cause power cuts that last weeks or months, experts told the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
  
  
• The chances of a disruption from space are getting stronger because the sun is entering the most active period of its 11 to 12-year natural cycle.
  
  
• The world got a taster of the sun's explosive power last week when the strongest solar eruption in five years sent a torrent of charged plasma hurtling towards the world at 580 miles per second.
  
  
• The storm created spectacular aurorae and disrupted radio communications.
  
  
• Professor Sir John Beddington, the government's chief scientific adviser, said: 'The issue of space weather has got to be taken seriously. We've had a relatively quiet period of space weather - but we can't expect that quiet period to continue.
  
  
• 'At the same time over that period the potential vulnerability of our systems has increased dramatically, whether it is the smart grid in our electricity systems or the ubiquitous use of GPS in just about everything we use these days.
  
  
• 'The situation has changed. We need to be thinking about the ability both to categorise and explain and give early warning when particular types of space weather are likely to occur.'
  

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Threat: Rio de Janeiro during a blackout in 2009. A solar storm could cause global power cuts for months, scientists have warned.

Solar storms are caused by massive explosions on the sun.

The explosions release waves of X-rays and ultraviolet radiation which smash into the Earth within minutes, disrupting radio signals and damaging the electronics of satellites.

They are followed ten to 20 minutes later by a burst of energetic particles which cause even more havoc with satellites - and then 15 to 30 hours later by supercharged plasma which collides with Earth's magnetic field.

The plasma create the aurora - or Northern Lights - and can induce electrical currents in power lines and cables.

Jane Lubchenco, head of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said: 'This is not a matter of if, it is simply a matter of when and how big.

'The last time we had a maximum in the solar cycle, about 10 years ago, the world was a very different place. Cell phones are now ubiquitous; they were certainly around but we didn't rely on them for so many different things.

'Many things that we take for granted today are so much more prone to the process of space weather than was the case in the last solar maximum.'

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Communications satellites would be knocked out by a solar storm, causing widespread chaos on Earth and hundreds of billions of pounds of damage.

I'd quite like to see it as well.
Eventually, in about 15 billion years, the sun will start to die and turn into a huge red dwarf which will become so large that it will consume the planet. But because the light from the sun takes around seven minutes to get to us, you will be able to see it happen. Now that would be cool

15 billion years lol, couldnt even imagine what life would be like then. All the planets resources will be used up within 100 years

but this is interesting and possible to happen in our lifetime - You must login or register to view this content.

Hope im at the pub when this happens, great excuse to bang every hot bird there =D

Damn, Orion is the most prominent constellation I can see from my back garden. It won't be the same without Betelgeuse..

Can't see it going boom any time soon though tbh..

Scientists say a lot of things will happen "soon".

why did i click this thread, now i feel depressed and wont sleep

But who would you play with ? xD

Damn imagine this really happens? Life would be crazy without electricity for a long time. Honestly hope it doesn't happen but if it does I'll be delighted to see what we'll do. People will go insane & cause chaos since it'll be a world of darkness :black:

Dr Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division said: "We know it's coming but we don't know how bad it's going to be." But what NASA is not telling the general public, is what you should be doing to get ready. Unless you live under a rock, you are beginning to notice that major news agencies as well as talk radio have started to cover the story, detailing exactly what NASA's warning is actually telling the public. If NASA is indeed right and we do get a direct hit from a super solar storm, "The Economic Damage In The United States Alone Will Be Twenty Times Greater Then Hurricane Katrina That Hit New Orleans" say experts. What NASA is not outright telling the general population is that if the earth in fact gets a direct hit by a truly big solar storm producing super x-class solar flares, (Coronal Mass Ejection or CME) ...it will cripple the world in more ways then we can possibly imagine, as it will cause nearly every electronic device to no longer work until it gets fixed. Imagine no more properly working cell phones, cars, trucks, planes, ships, computers, TV, radio, iPods, or game machines, let alone no more advanced medical services. Since more then likely there will be no electric power in most of the world for many months on end, there will be no modern banking system in place, no New York Stock Exchange, credit cards will be worthless and what cash, silver and gold you have will be king. Food stores will soon be looted in the name of survival, most gas stations can't pump gas for what cars and trucks that might still be running. All forms of radio communication will no longer work during this period, making it difficult if not impossible for local law enforcement to maintain law and order, and a National Marshall Law = (Rex-84) will be ordered that the public will be mostly unaware of. Before you know it, the the city water and sewer system will stop working. If you are on an electric well pump, you lose your water right away, (unless it's a hand pump) where as those in the city might have a few days to a week or so before they lose all their water pressure. Even worse, those who don't have at least twelve to twenty four months of secured food and water, starvation will set in, which stands to kill hundreds of millions world wide if not billions; where as third world countries will not be as adversely effected. *Remember... most of the world population no longer supply their own food, rather people buy it. If food trucks don't run, then they cant get the food to the stores. Even if somehow cars and trucks still worked, gas stations will be without power for months and thus unable to pump gas without having to run a costly generator. No doubt what gas their is available will be top dollar, easily exceeding ten US dollars per gallon in many locations world wide. It will be one big nightmare if the earth takes a direct hit from a super CME, thus changing billions of lives forever. Leading countries like the US would be temporally setback well over a hundred and fifty years. But there are numerous things we can do to easily survive the coming solar storm rather then us becoming a victim.