Warning: Sunspot cycle beginning to rise »
Posted By Pecossam 7 months, 2 weeks ago in Science & TechnologyWASHINGTON – When the sun sneezes it's Earth that gets sick. It's time for the sun to move into a busier period for sunspots, and while forecasters expect a relatively mild outbreak by historical standards, one major solar storm can cause havoc with satellites and electrical systems here.
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Pecossam7 months, 2 weeks ago
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My Dear Fellow Propeller-Heads,
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Seems it is time once again to begin yelling into our cell phones: "Can you hear me now!", as our friendly neighborhood Sol has one of it's cyclical tantrums, causing all sorts of
BZZZZZ problems with our electrical systems and hardware. May the guardian gigabytes protect our machines! BZZZZZ! -
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Klarissa7 months, 2 weeks ago
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What would this do to alternate energy use of solar panels??
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And we would find out in a hurry how dependent we are on electricity!
The 1859 storm shorted out telegraph wires, causing fires in North America and Europe, sent readings of Earth's magnetic field soaring, and produced northern lights so bright that people read newspapers by their light.
Today there's a lot more than telegraph lines at stake. Vulnerable electrical grids circle the globe, satellites now vital for all forms of communications can be severely disrupted along with the global positioning system.
Indeed, the panel warned that a strong blast of solar wind can threaten national security, transportation, financial services and other essential functions.-
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wtagg7 months, 2 weeks ago
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Solar flares interfere with the transportation of electricity and communications. The panels themselves would not be exposed to much risk. The grid transporting the electricity needs to be the focus of concern.
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And as in almost all things, the grid is exposed to much more risk from human intervention than it is from the sun.
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beavith17 months, 2 weeks ago
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the sun normally goes through an eleven year sunspot/activity cycle. the current minimum (that we are just going through) has been unusually quiet (zero sunspots versus random small numbers)with a small drop in solar output.
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it could be that we are entering into a long term quiet period, similar to what occurred in the 17th century. nobody is sure because solar output history is so short. -
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