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. 

erik_squires

      Don't know if this has been covered, in all of the above rhetoric, but:

      The closer one lives to the North Pole (for this event), the greater the effect of the electromagnetic disturbances.    ie: Possible blown grid transformers/power outages, etc.

       Our/Earth's magnetic field is weaker at the poles and allows more of the Sun's excretions to react with our atmosphere's gases.   Why what we're now seeing ("Northern Lights") further South, is an anomaly.

        All wiring can, given enough surrounding electromagnetic energy, act as an antenna and absorb whatever's available.

                                          The results are nothing new:  

                             https://www.space.com/the-carrington-event    

 ...prepare your home for potential power grid meltdown.   People lived in cold climates before electricity.

       I'm all about having a generator/home power source, in the event of a power outage.   However: if what you're dependent on is not hardened against an EMP (Solar or Nuclear) event, your power could potentially still be compromised.

                                  Anything Solid State can/may be fried!

        I won't derail this thread with a discourse on what's been coming across our borders, of late, but (something to consider):

       https://nationalinterest.org/feature/america-verge-power-grid-crisis-206064

                                     This is no Chicken Little scenario!   

                                                        further:                  

        http://www.empcommission.org/docs/A2473-EMP_Commission-7MB.pdf

                                                          and:

                 https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1127/ML11279A118.pdf

                            Yeah (I know): IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE!

                                               I HOPE you're right!

No you are right