Did you know Earth was struck by a coronal mass ejection? (1 Viewer)

[Sinn Fein]

It's that special flashlight that you just don't need to know about.I've been wracking my brain trying to remember the author/title, but a few years back I read a scifi book that addressed this isssue. A very large one of these was projected that was going to wipe out everything and fry people too.

A large "special flashlight" is going to wipe out everything? Surely Jenna Jameson will save the planet...

 

[Mjolnirs]

I guess I should work on my reply spacing.

 

[Sarnoff]

Even though I live in the land of earthquakes, I fear solar storms more. We're on track for a huge hit on Dec 21, 2012...

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/deep/the-looming-threat-of-a-solar-superstorm-6643435?click=pm_news'>The Looming Threat of a Solar Superstorm

Hmmm...long article. Nutshell it. Are we doomed?

Nutshell: Solar superstorms have happened in the past. They've shut down cities and power grids in the last couple of decades. No huge ones, though, since electricity went mainstream. It's only a matter of time until one happens again. We're currently in a period of increasing solar activity, ramping up over the next year or so.If a superstorm happens, things go bad. Very bad. Depends on how severe. A "mild" bad one would probably cause a cascade power failure (since our power grid is connected internationally, if one grid fails it could take down a whole continent or hemisphere). GPS would fail, freezing the international economy. Emergency food supplies would spoil in 3 days. Water supplied by electric pumps would stop. Police/Fire/Military would have no way to communicate with each other. Without internet/email/cell phones/radio/TV, people would have no idea what to do, or where to go for food/water/heat.

A "really bad" bad one? Forget it, it's over. It'd take 2, 4, maybe 10 years just to rebuild the transformers to get the power grid restarted. If we get hit with a large enough EM pulse at the same time? Everything that runs on electronics would die, so even if you had a generator backup, you'd have nothing to run off of it. Planes would fall out of the sky. Cars wouldn't start again. Satellites would rain down on us. Electronic banking records, property records, identity records would be wiped away. We're talking Beej's wet dreams.

Ok, so the scariest environment imaginable. Thanks, that's all you gotta say. Scariest environment imaginable.

I think NBC read this post.

 

[glumpy]

Even though I live in the land of earthquakes, I fear solar storms more. We're on track for a huge hit on Dec 21, 2012...

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/deep/the-looming-threat-of-a-solar-superstorm-6643435?click=pm_news'>The Looming Threat of a Solar Superstorm

Hmmm...long article. Nutshell it. Are we doomed?

Nutshell: Solar superstorms have happened in the past. They've shut down cities and power grids in the last couple of decades. No huge ones, though, since electricity went mainstream. It's only a matter of time until one happens again. We're currently in a period of increasing solar activity, ramping up over the next year or so.If a superstorm happens, things go bad. Very bad. Depends on how severe. A "mild" bad one would probably cause a cascade power failure (since our power grid is connected internationally, if one grid fails it could take down a whole continent or hemisphere). GPS would fail, freezing the international economy. Emergency food supplies would spoil in 3 days. Water supplied by electric pumps would stop. Police/Fire/Military would have no way to communicate with each other. Without internet/email/cell phones/radio/TV, people would have no idea what to do, or where to go for food/water/heat.

A "really bad" bad one? Forget it, it's over. It'd take 2, 4, maybe 10 years just to rebuild the transformers to get the power grid restarted. If we get hit with a large enough EM pulse at the same time? Everything that runs on electronics would die, so even if you had a generator backup, you'd have nothing to run off of it. Planes would fall out of the sky. Cars wouldn't start again. Satellites would rain down on us. Electronic banking records, property records, identity records would be wiped away. We're talking Beej's wet dreams.

Ok, so the scariest environment imaginable. Thanks, that's all you gotta say. Scariest environment imaginable.

I think NBC read this post.

Gotta see this!

 

[johnnycakes]

I thought I was having flashbacks from taking too much acid back in the day.

 

[Sarnoff]

Apparently, not long after the last post in this thread, a massive power-grid destroying CME just narrowly missed Earth, coming just nine days late.

 

[E Street Brat]

 

[NCCommish]

Apparently, not long after the last post in this thread, a massive power-grid destroying CME just narrowly missed Earth, coming just nine days late.

Yeah that would have been real ugly if it had hit. And I think we may as well assume we are going to get hit and start preparing. But we won't.