This is also interesting:
«"Larger CMEs can reach a size comprising nearly a quarter of the space between Earth and the sun by the time it reaches our planet", said NOAA in a statement. »
Solar flares are here, everyone unplug your dryer!
Turns out we have exceptionally high solar activity right now, with a category 4 solar flair expected to impact the planet, potentially affecting satellite communications, electronics and power grids.
Of course, if history is any guide the news is absolutely over excited over this, at best those in the northern states may see pretty lights at night. I was particularly amused this afternoon at a CNN weather person recommending you unplug your dryer just to be safe. I mean, is that really the most important appliance in his house? 🤣
Also, kind of off topic, if you have binoculars or a telescope with the right solar filters you can catch a glimpse of the dark spots on the sun associated with this CME. Amazing to imagine that it is about 15-16x wider than the earth.
This article draw my attention the latitude of quebec being almost 47 degree...
«Using simple calculations, Tsurutani and Lakhina showed that a Perfect CME would reach Earth in only 12 hours, allowing emergency managers little time to prepare, and slam into our magnetosphere at 45 times the local speed of sound. In response to such a shock, there would be a geomagnetic storm perhaps twice as strong as the Carrington Event of 1859. Power grids, GPS and other high-tech services could experience significant outages. Sounds bad? Turns out it could be worse...... .................................................... The team found that geomagnetic disturbances in response to a Perfect CME could be 10 times stronger than Tsurutani and Lakhina calculated, particularly at latitudes above 45 to 50 degrees. “[Our results] exceed values observed during many past extreme events, including the March 1989 storm that brought down the Hydro-Quebec power grid in eastern Canada; the May 1921 railroad storm; and the Carrington Event itself,” says Welling.» https://spaceweatherarchive.com/2021/01/21/what-if-a-perfect-cme-hit-earth/ Interesting article to read but a bit doom... 😁
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