- Attachments : Solar Flare
- The storm has already created beautiful auroras over northern Canada and Scandinavia. Operators are on the alert to see how much the storm effects electronic equipment and power grids. Higher altitudes are especially vulnerable to electronic disturbances. Power blackouts could occur. Satellites could be turned off temporarily. Airlines could loose radio communications and have to be rerouted. Wait and see what happens.
- The storm is a cloud of plasma. Plasma is ions or positively charged atomic nuclei and negatively charged electrons. The subatomic particles have been knocked loose from their neutral atomic structure. The plasma is created in the Corona of the Sun where it reaches temperatures of millions of degrees. The blast that launches these particles off the Sun and hurtles them towards the Earth is Solar Flares. The particles are launched above the escape velocities needed to leave the Sun’s gravity.
- When these charged particles reach the Earth a couple days later they enter our upper atmosphere and cause ionization of the atmospheric gases. Like a neon light show the gases light up in a bright aurora especially near the magnetic poles where they are headed. The plasma cloud distorts the Earth’s magnetosphere. Some of the magnetic disturbances can penetrate the shield and reach the surface of the Earth. The effect of the electric charges and magnetic fields on Earth can range from pipeline corrosion due to electrolysis , to communication outages, to power grid blackouts.
- It all started deep inside the Sun. At the surface jets of plasma called “ spicules” shoot out of the surface through the photosphere and up into the Corona. The jets reach speeds of 30 miles per second, 108,000 miles per hour. As the jets traverse the Corona they heat up to 100,000 Kelvin, to as much as 1,000,000 Kelvin. The lower temperature gas falls back into the surface. The hotter plasma remains in the Corona.
- Magnetic ropes of wrapped magnetic field lines emerge in loops. These ropes can carry strong electric currents that further heat up the Corona. When these loops exit and enter the surface of the Sun they create “ Sunspots” where the temperatures are slightly lower than the surrounding surface temperatures.
- When these magnetic ropes get too entangled, or too powerful, they can snap. This resulting release of energy causes a giant flare, or explosion, that hurtles plasma out of the Corona and into outer space. If the flare happens to be aimed at us the plasma cloud will travel to Earth in about 2 days time. When we are looking down the barrel of a Sunspot Solar Flare we get hit. I have to wait to learn what happens now. So far, my cell phone is still working. But, my chickens are restless.
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(1) Other reviews on Solar Flares, #1156, #850 , #1262
(2) We are 93 million miles away from the Sun. Light gets here in 8 minutes. Plasma arrives in 1 to 3 days. The plasma is billions of tons of material traveling at 2,000,000 miles per hour.
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707-536-3272, Tuesday, January 24, 2012
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