Earth Bound Disaster Imminent? Less Than 4 Weeks Away?

A bit from The Sun’s story: 

A GIANT explosion of energy from the Sun could paralyse Earth in just three years’ time, scientists warned yesterday.

They fear a huge solar flare is due to erupt in 2013 — causing blackouts and global chaos.

The once-in-a-century disaster could see power grids crash, communication systems collapse, planes grounded, food supplies hit and the internet shut down.

Everything from home freezers to car sat navs would be affected.

The disaster could mirror the Great Solar Flare of 1859.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3145874/Solar-flare-to-paralyse-Earth-in-2013.html#ixzz2BbTRCr4D

M1.7 solar flare erupted from Region 1611 – backsided full-halo CME observed

Solar flare measuring M1.7 erupted on November 8, 2012 at 02:23 UTC. The source of this event is newly formed region rotating into view, Region 1611 (N12E66). The event started at 02:28, peaked at 02:23 and ended at 02:25 UTC. Type II Radio Emission was recorded indicating that a coronal mass ejection is associated with a flare event.

Space Weather Message Code: ALTTP2 

Serial Number: 825

Issue Time: 2012 Nov 08 0259 UTC

ALERT: Type II Radio Emission

Begin Time: 2012 Nov 08 0220 UTC

Estimated Velocity: 784 km/s

Description: Type II emissions occur in association with eruptions on the sun and typically indicate a coronal mass ejection is associated with a flare event.

SWPC later confirmed that the event was associated with a CME off the east limb (not expected to be geoeffective) and a Type II radio sweep. A backsided, full-halo CME was observed later in the day (first entering the C2 field of view at 08/1112Z); Stereo imagery indicated that old Region 1598 was the source. There are currently 6 numbered sunspot regions on the disk including two newly numbered groups: Region 1611 (N12E66) and 1612 (N06E71).

Related posts:

1. Region 1532 erupted with M2.7 solar flare On July 27, 2012 emerging Region 1532 unleashed an M-class…
2. Restless Region 1515 just produced an M-class solar flare again After series of C-class flares, for last couple of hours, Region…

More @ http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2012/11/08/m1-7-solar-flare-erupted-from-region-1611-backsided-full-halo-cme-observed/

X1.8 Solar Flare On Oct 22, 7th X Flare of 2012

The sun emitted a significant solar flare on Oct. 22, 2012, peaking at 11:17 p.m. EDT. The flare came from an active region on the left side of the sun that has been numbered AR 1598, which has already been the source of a number of weaker flares. This flare was classified as an X1.8-class flare.

A solar flare on Oct. 22, 2012, as captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in the 131 Angstrom wavelength. This wavelength of light is used for observing solar material heated to 10 million degrees Kelvin, as in a solar flare. The wavelength is typically colorized in teal, as it is here.

(Credit: NASA/SDO/Goddard)

“X-class” denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is three times as intense, and on. An X-class flare of this intensity can cause degradation or blackouts of radio communications for about an hour.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however — when intense enough — they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This can disrupt radio signals for anywhere from minutes to hours.

Video of the Oct. 22, 2012, solar flare as captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in the 131 and 304 Angstrom wavelengths. 

Credit: NASA/SDO/Goddard

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, which is the United States government’s official source for space weather forecasts and alerts, categorized the radio blackout associated with this flare as an R3, on a scale from R1 to R5. It has since subsided.

By observing the sun in a number of different wavelengths, NASA’s telescopes can tease out different aspects of events on the sun. These four images of a solar flare on Oct. 22, 2012, show from the top left, and moving clockwise: light from the sun in the 171 Angstrom wavelength, which shows the structure of loops of solar material in the sun’s atmosphere, the corona; light in 335 Angstroms, which highlights light from active regions in the corona; a magnetogram, which shows magnetically active regions on the sun; light in the 304 Angstrom wavelength, which shows light from the region of the sun’s atmosphere where flares originate.

Credit: NASA/SDO/Goddard

Increased numbers of flares are quite common at the moment, since the sun’s normal 11-year activity cycle is ramping up toward solar maximum, which is expected in 2013. Humans have tracked this solar cycle continuously since it was discovered in 1843, and it is normal for there to be many flares a day during the sun’s peak activity. The first X-class flare of the current solar cycle occurred on Feb. 15, 2011 and there have been 15 X-class flares total in this cycle, including this one. The largest X-class flare in this cycle was an X6.9 on Aug. 9, 2011. This is the 7th X-class flare in 2012 with the largest being an X5.4 flare on March 7.

This flare did not have an associated Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME), another solar phenomenon that can send solar particles into space and affect electronic systems in satellites and on Earth.

Contacts and sources:

Karen C. Fox

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.