CME in progess?

[Sparrow]

I get updates to my e-mail. Just got this.

________________________

Space Weather News for Oct. 24, 2011
SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids (http://spaceweather.com)

CME IMPACT: A coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on Oct. 24th around 1800 UT (2 pm EDT). The impact strongly compressed our planet's magnetosphere and may have exposed geosynchronous satellites to solar wind plasma. Mild to moderate geomagnetic storms are possible in the hours ahead as Earth's magnetic field continues to reverberate from the hit. Sky watchers in Scandinavia, Canada, and northern-tier US States should be alert for auroras, especially during the hours around local midnight. Check SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids (http://spaceweather.com) for updates.

WOULD YOU LIKE A CALL when geomagnetic storms are in progress? Storm alerts are available from SpaceWeather Text (http://spaceweathertext.com) (text) and Spaceweather PHONE (http://spaceweatherphone.com) (voice).

You are subscribed to the Space Weather mailing list, a free service of Spaceweather.com.

New subscribers may sign up for free space weather alerts at SpaceWeather.com Mailing List (http://spaceweather.com/services/) .

To unsubscribe click here: Message (http://www.spaceweather2.com/u?id=1622478O&n=T&l=spaceweather) or send a blank email to leave-spaceweather-1622478O@www.spaceweather2.com

[mollypup]

I got that too. I thought we were supposed to be notified when they saw an eruption on the surface of the sun, not after we were already hit by it!!!

[Sparrow]

I got that too. I thought we were supposed to be notified when they saw an eruption on the surface of the sun, not after we were already hit by it!!!

YES! That little fact makes me not feel so great :( I thought if something big comes we'd have at least 24 hrs notice and I could send out the invitation to my peeps to get out of dodge and up here (even though I am ill prepared for a group as of yet) ...

[AlphaTea]

Yup, I hate it when we get the news late like that.
Technically there was notification on the website, however they thought this would be a glancing blow only with nothing to be excited about.
This is the most sunspots I can remember seeing at on time too.
I would have missed the show anyway because of the rain we were having.

[bacpacker]

They typically get notice's out around 2 days in advance, even for the ones that don't even hit the earth or are small and insignificant. I'm surprised there wasn't any notice on a big one in a direct shot.
Just heard on the news that the northern lights were saw as far south as the carolina's, alabama, & mississippi. I should have been outside watching some last night. I believe I will for a while tonight.

[The Stig]

They typically get notice's out around 2 days in advance, even for the ones that don't even hit the earth or are small and insignificant. I'm surprised there wasn't any notice on a big one in a direct shot.
Just heard on the news that the northern lights were saw as far south as the carolina's, alabama, & mississippi. I should have been outside watching some last night. I believe I will for a while tonight.

So what is the CME for dummies here?

I know what a CME is but when I read your post that we just took a "direct hit" and nothing much happened, the idea of a CME being a SHTF event falls way down the priority list.

Again, I know little about them than the basics so if I'm way off, mea culpa. But to be totally honest I tend to associate CME worries with that of HAARP or EMP tinfoilish stuff so reading that a "big one" slapped us upside the head with zero result reinforces things.

[bacpacker]

Stig I am not the one to give great info on this. I'm nothing more than an interested observer. Here's my interpretation on this. I also mis spoke about the direct hit.

The sun fires off solar flares and CME's of different magnatudes from all over the surface, although they tend to come in higher proportion from certain area's. From my understanding they come off in all directions depending where they launch from. From there they head out into space and will hit anything in their way. They come to earth (and all other bodies) and may hit anywhere from a very slight glance to full on. Mainly this is totally due to the path it takes leaving the sun.
I really don't know much more than that and what I just wrote is no more than my understanding from some reading I have done. I am some what of a amateur astronomer. That and the solar flares can play a large part in propagation (or lack of) of ham radio waves. During periods of solar flare maximum's, communications go way up on certain bands.
Sorry for any confusion I created. Also this flare was not a huge CME. There are 3 classes of flares or CME's and they vary in intensity and their scales are rated similar to earthquakes. I have already deleted the notice I got, so I can't tell what class or size this one was right now.

[The Stig]

Stig I am not the one to give great info on this. I'm nothing more than an interested observer. Here's my interpretation on this. I also mis spoke about the direct hit.

The sun fires off solar flares and CME's of different magnatudes from all over the surface, although they tend to come in higher proportion from certain area's. From my understanding they come off in all directions depending where they launch from. From there they head out into space and will hit anything in their way. They come to earth (and all other bodies) and may hit anywhere from a very slight glance to full on. Mainly this is totally due to the path it takes leaving the sun.
I really don't know much more than that and what I just wrote is no more than my understanding from some reading I have done. I am some what of a amateur astronomer. That and the solar flares can play a large part in propagation (or lack of) of ham radio waves. During periods of solar flare maximum's, communications go way up on certain bands.
Sorry for any confusion I created. Also this flare was not a huge CME. There are 3 classes of flares or CME's and they vary in intensity and their scales are rated similar to earthquakes. I have already deleted the notice I got, so I can't tell what class or size this one was right now.

Gotcha.

No worries. I wasn't busting on you, just an area I know far too little about. I'll put it on the list of "things to read up on" so I can make more informed choices.

[bacpacker]

I read a news report this morning that stated this one was of a medium size and had surprised a lot of watchers of these things, due to the fact it struck the atmosphere a full 8 hrs before it was expected to. Also that the northern lights were being seen so far south. One report from alabama said it was only the second time in a decade the lights had been seen there.

[mollypup]

CME's are very serious events. We are way overdue for a big hit and the sun is in a very active phase, especially in 2012. In my humble opinion, I think if anything is going to happen in 2012, it will be that the earth gets hit by a whopper natural EMP (via CME - Coronal Mass Ejection). The economic collapse is my main worry but there's no telling how long TPTB can keep postponing the inevitable. But, I'd bet my passport that we're gonna get clobbered by an EMP.

[Sparrow]

I've been following, learning about the solar storms since Wired published this article in '09 > The 2012 Apocalypse (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/04/2012storms/)

Just an FYI, if we do get a 'carrington' level event (Solar storm of 1859 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859)) it will not effect the whole globe equally at all.

Hydro Quebec has invested 900 million in safe guarding our grid from this level of event. I should show you some pictures of what this technology and infrastructure looks like. Here is more info about it: Hydro-Quebec prepares for solar storms: - POWERGRID International/Electric Light & Power (http://www.elp.com/index/display/article-display/74224/articles/electric-light-power/volume-77/issue-7/departments/technology-at-work/hydro-quebec-prepares-for-solar-storms.html)

In a speech Obama made he said (loosely quoted): US citizens have to summon their spirit to overcome the coming earthquakes, spikes in oil prices and a slowdown in the rest of the world.

Well, if 3rd world grids are not protected ... there sure will be a slow down! I don't think Hydro Quebec spent almost a billion for no reason (especially considering Montreal road and other infrastructure is in such a deteriorated state - it already looks like Mad Max Apocalypse happened). I think this is something very serious to prepare for.

[bacpacker]

Molly, you are right, we are in the most active cycle of sunspots in the past 25 years at least. Like I mentioned ham radio on the HF bands go's up and down based on sunspots. It's been way down for over a decade, but has came to life over the past year.

Sparrow, I was going to mention the Carrington Event from the 1850's. That is the biggest CME to hit in modern history and there is some info out there about the effects at that time. With all the electronics in everything these days I think even that one would have been much worse.

If we take a high level X-class cme sent on a direct path to the earth, well I'm not sure anyone can say what would happen. My guess any info out there on that level event would be based on theory. No way to know for certain.

[ladyhk13]

I've been following, learning about the solar storms since Wired published this article in '09 > The 2012 Apocalypse (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/04/2012storms/)

Just an FYI, if we do get a 'carrington' level event (Solar storm of 1859 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859)) it will not effect the whole globe equally at all.

Hydro Quebec has invested 900 million in safe guarding our grid from this level of event. I should show you some pictures of what this technology and infrastructure looks like. Here is more info about it: Hydro-Quebec prepares for solar storms: - POWERGRID International/Electric Light & Power (http://www.elp.com/index/display/article-display/74224/articles/electric-light-power/volume-77/issue-7/departments/technology-at-work/hydro-quebec-prepares-for-solar-storms.html)

In a speech Obama made he said (loosely quoted): US citizens have to summon their spirit to overcome the coming earthquakes, spikes in oil prices and a slowdown in the rest of the world.

Well, if 3rd world grids are not protected ... there sure will be a slow down! I don't think Hydro Quebec spent almost a billion for no reason (especially considering Montreal road and other infrastructure is in such a deteriorated state - it already looks like Mad Max Apocalypse happened). I think this is something very serious to prepare for.

Well Sparrow if it hits up there, you are welcome to come down to us...if it hits down here I'm heading up your way! LOL!

[Sparrow]

The word is hydro Quebec is banking on a CME to kick out the US grid. They already make a killing selling the majority of their hydro to the eastern seaboard.

Imagine the price spike in hydro if hydro Quebec was one of the only suppliers after a CME? I don't think I could afford the hydro in that case scenario! For them it is a gamble and they are probably hoping to make Billions in the event of major CME.

Thank you kindly for your offer lady! The same goes for you!