The axiom in real estate is location, location, location. So too when it comes to solar flares. Thankfully the earth was not in the cross hairs of the sun when it belched on April 2, 2001. If we had been there would have been no September 11, 2001 to worry about. We would be more into building wood wheeled carts- those of us that were left.
Most eveyone is familiar with our hurricane categories. A one is no big dea; however, a CAT 5 can remove everything in it’s path. The same holds true with tornadoes. But what about solar flares, which are different than coronal mass ejections (CME’s). CME’s are heated electrified plasma that takes around 48 hour to travel to earth whereas a solar flare is radiation (of various forms) that can reach the earth in eight minutes!
A solar flare occurs when magnetic energy that has built up in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released. Radiation is emitted across virtually the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves at the long wavelength end, through optical emission to x-rays and gamma rays at the short wavelength end. The amount of energy released is the equivalent of millions of 100-megaton hydrogen bombs exploding at the same time! The first solar flare recorded in astronomical literature was on September 1, 1859.
Since then solar flares have been measured on a five letter ranking: A,B,C, M, and X. The most violent storms got the X ranking. Within each of those five letter though was a 1-20 ranking. On April 2nd, 2001, the most violent solar flare in recorded history short forth from the sun at an x+ level causing scientists to create a new measurement- the Y class!
There’s a lot of reasons that our life can be ended in minutes and one of them has to do with solar flares!
The worst case scenario is a violent CME that accompanies a solar flare with both coming at us in a 1-2 punch during the suns peak activity cycle. Can you say 2012? Scientists are concerned that what is now the low sun spot activity cycle (40% higher than normal) might be 40% higher than normal at the peack activity level. But, worst of all what that might mean come 2012?
By the way, you can but converter kits for your tornado shelters (into solar flare shelters). No kidding! 
2 Comments
There is so much to consider and assimilate for 2012. so many events seem to be coming together at one time. I have an 8 year old daughter and even she has now hear of 2012 completely independently of myself.
I started cicerotv.com to look at all sorts of issues, and now we have Geoff Stray talking there about 2012 and the Mayan Calendar. If you want to come and offer something to this subject, please do. The more we know, there better chance we have of dealing with what seems likely to happen.
I saw on TV that our sun , Earth & our galaxy black hole will line Winter Solistice 2012. How will the gravity of this alignment affect solar flares& solar winds 2 Earth ? I would consider ourselves lucky if during the alignkment the Earth will be on the outter side. This is not published assnywhere ! The Earth, with our luck will align between the galaxy black hole & the sun this creates high opportunity for solar flares & winds will dominate the space weather affecting the daylight hours especially.. The radio waves will va porize like sugar in water further research if called for now , we are all survivors. From neolithic 2 NASA , our life on this rock is a slight second in times of the universe .
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