STRONG SOLAR ACTIVITY

[masmdu]

Source: SpaceWeather

"The impact on Earth is likely to be major."

For the third day in a row, active sunspot 1261 has unleashed a significant M-class solar flare. The latest blast at 0357 UT on August 4th registered M9.3 on the Richter Scale of Flares, almost crossing the threshold into X-territory (X-flares are the most powerful kind). The number of energetic protons around Earth has jumped nearly 100-fold as a result of this event.

Read more: http://www.spaceweather.com/

---

Is this something to be concerned about?

[chill_wind]

1. Solar Activity Alert for High-Precision GPS Users

http://www.gpsworld.com/gnss-system/news/warning-solar-activity-alert-high-precision-gps-users-11956

[slackmaster]

2. BEEEEEEEEEEEEP

[Blue_In_AK]

3. It should provide great aurora displays

all over Alaska if the clouds dissipate.

[TheWraith]

4. Could interfere with satellite communications and/or GPS performance.

Should be pretty temporary, though. You're most likely to experience disruptions in satellite signal around dusk, and with services which rely on very faint signals. Sat phones and GPS are at more risk than satellite TV, for instance.

[Taverner]

10. More annoying is the magnetic damage done to hard drives

I've done restore-from-tape more times than I'd like to have thanks to solar flares

[bananas]

21. CME hitting now, 4-hour prediction is Kp 7

www.spaceweather.com reports that the CME is hitting now.
USAF 4-hour prediction (updates every 15 minutes):
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wingkp/24_hour.html

[dtexdem]

5. Damn stars -- just can't trust them.

Why do we put up with them, anyway? ;-)

[Worried senior]

6. Oh darn

there goes direct t.v. again.

[jwirr]

7. Okay, plain speaking for those of us who apparently are illiterate: What

is a GPS?

[Po_d Mainiac]

8. geogrographically pissin straight

Global positioning system....
or
How to get theyuh from heyuh

[jwirr]

18. Thank you. At least you are not laughing like my sweet little grandson

did when I went in to ask him! Tomorrow I am going to put too much salt into his food!

[TheWraith]

13. Global Positioning System.

The US-made global navigation satellite system. Although honestly, I would imagine more people know it simply as GPS, since that's how people refer to the receivers in their cars.

[Taverner]

9. IT Folks - make sure and VERIFY your backups!!!!

And it goes without saying, make sure you DO your backups

Solar Flares have caused more irreparable server crashes than I can remember

[slackmaster]

11. Good plan!

Doin' it right now.

Thanks, they're all where they're supposed to be.

Firing off quick restore test.

That's good too.

[kenny blankenship]

12. Well that should make it easy to get your required dosage of VITAMIN D

Without the necessary levels of VITAMIN D all the beer and travel money in the world won't help you.

[BiggJawn]

14. Woo-Hoo!

10 Meters will be open!
20 might be open 24/7!

[BOG PERSON]

15. X

n/m

[a kennedy]

16. Is this why everything is so screwed up....

like the tea bags even having a voice, the DOW Jones just dropping like a rock, the world economies in complete meltdown??? Is it the suns fault??? OMG that's it isn't it???? D*MN.

[Recovered Repug]

17. The debt ceiling deal caused the solar flare.

The right has not only fucked up the earth, but moved on to the entire solar system.

[bananas]

19. USAF 4-hour aurora prediction

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wingkp/24_hour.html

[Javaman]

20. Depends on two things...

1) if the flare actually hits the earth

2) the size of the flare.

If it's an X magnitude flare and hits the Earth directly, it's pretty much game over.

if it's a lower magnitude (and that is a pretty broad range), a variety of things could happen. The effects could be as small as having interference on your cable to (this is below an X magnitude) to disrupting power grids, GPS and or satellite function.