Magnetic Storm Ignites the Sky

[Greg Tito]

Magnetic Storm Ignites the Sky

A massive geomagnetic storm caused by solar activity made last night's sky erupt with color all over the northern hemisphere.

The aurora borealis or northern lights are a common enough phenomenon in areas high enough in latitude to be near the magnetic poles. But due to a massive coronal mass ejection (heh) of solar wind particles released from our sun at around 3 pm EST yesterday, the Earth's magnetosphere was compressed to the point where dazzling aurora displays were seen as far south as Alabama on the Gulf Coast of the United States. Amateur and professional photographers grabbed the chance to capture the display.

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The sun has slowing been building to what is ominously referred to as "solar maximum". Solar flares and other ejections will continue to increase until sometime in 2013 as magnetic stresses ripple through the sun's interior.

The effects of flares causing geomagnetic storms can be more than just pretty. In 1989, solar eruptions bombarded the power grid run by Hydro-Quebec, knocking out electricity for millions of people and last year a flare hit a communications satellite, frying its electronics. The "zombiesat" became unresponsive and started drifting, causing a danger to still working satellites around its orbit.

Thankfully, no such events have been reported due to this massive storm. All we have are these pretty pictures.

Source: Discovery [http://news.discovery.com/space/epic-geomagnetic-storm-erupts-111025.html]

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[Abedeus]

Looks freaking awesome. This a shame Poland isn't high enough in the North to witness such view.

 

[Your Fearless Captain]

How did I miss this. I feel so terrible that I missed this.

 

[TheDoctor455]

2012....

I kid, of course. Still, the timing is uncanny.

Cue the REAL 2012 idiots jumping on this.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Wow that is very pretty and it look like it's a one of a kind event.

 

[Desworks]

Sadly over Dublin a storm of the conventional kind was busy ruining everyone's week, so all the geomagnetism the sun has to throw at us wouldn't have made any fun sights. Still, at least there's nice pictures for us to look at as we bail water out of the kitchen.

 

[Cpu46]

I'm actually thinking about taking a ride into the farmland around Dekalb, IL to see the lights next time another mass ejection of this magnitude is set to hit. Always wanted to see them firsthand.

 

[Torrasque]

2012....

I kid, of course. Still, the timing is uncanny.

Inb4... Damnit, ninja'd!!
I agree, the timing is uncanny, but tbh, I am not worried.
If it happens, it happens, and my tiny human body is hardly able to stop the sun from doing what it wants =P

 

[Prof. Monkeypox]

Aww, I wish I could have seen this myself.
"It came as far south as Alabama," so I just missed the cut-off point.

Pretty pictures though.

 

[thethingthatlurks]

Whenever I see pictures of the aurora borealis, this quote comes to mind:

?Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars - mere globs of gas atoms. I too can see the stars on a desert night, and feel them. But do I see less or more? The vastness of the heavens stretches my imagination - stuck on this carousel my little eye can catch one - million - year - old light. A vast pattern - of which I am a part... What is the pattern, or the meaning, or the why? It does not do harm to the mystery to know a little about it. For far more marvelous is the truth than any artists of the past imagined it. Why do the poets of the present not speak of it? What men are poets who can speak of Jupiter if he were a man, but if he is an immense spinning sphere of methane and ammonia must be silent??

Those are marvelous pictures, and I hope to be able to see the real thing at some point in my life...

 

[Callex]

2012....

I kid, of course. Still, the timing is uncanny.

Although it sounds like an eerie coincidence; solar activity peaks about once every 11 years, so it's not that unlikely to happen within a year or so of 2012.

 

[the spud]

Some of my friends at school saw this! I am so dissappointed in myself for missing it.

 

[Callex]

2012....

I kid, of course. Still, the timing is uncanny.

Although it sounds like an eerie coincidence; solar activity peaks about once every 11 years, so it's not that unlikely to happen within a year or so of 2012.

The odds weren't exactly in its favor though.

True, but we get doomsday prophecies all the time; they're bound to land within a general period of high solar activity once in a while!

We've measured about 12 of these cycles since records began in the 1880's. They're very regular and predictable - this one is no different (although slightly late). There's no reason to panic just yet!

 

[doomprophecy]

doomsday is probably not going to happen
i mean its already been foretold that the world is going to end several hundred times already

 

[GonzoGamer]

See? Even God is excited for Skyrim.

Is that what this is about?
Bethesda officially overhyping Skyrim?

I saw this happening but I thought it was just a weird acid flashback.

Don't do drugs kids: some of that shit never leaves your system.