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Topic: Telcos

Sun spot causing storms on Earth

Summary: Trouble with your GPS? Your computer is mysteriously rebooting? It's probably due to the effects of a solar storm.

Andy Smith

By |

 |  Image 13 of 16

Solar flares impact Earth when they occur on the half of the sun that is facing our planet. This flare is from July 1, 2002.

Credit: SOHO, ESA & NASA

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Topics: Telcos, CXO, Hardware, Mobility

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27 comments
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  • "... a solar storm coming from the sun."

    So from where else do solar storms appear?
    mjappfactory
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Duck! There's a solar storm going on

      @mjappfactory
      Umm, billions of other stars.
      NoAxToGrind
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Duck! There's a solar storm going on

        @NoAxToGrind
        Umm, not strictly true. The word solar, from the Roman Sol, is used to describe our Sun, not other stars.
        ElTel
        Reply Vote

  • Could that kill a man-made satellite?

    And if yes, what would happen to the dead satellite?
    RelaxWalk
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Duck! There's a solar storm going on

      @RelaxWalk Kill a satellite?<br><br>You betcha. A couple different ways this could happen. 1. Radiation could fry the circuitry of the satellite. It's pretty strong stuff and in the 80's was strong enough to fry electrical substations in Canada. Astronauts in the ISS have to retreat to shielded areas to get some protection from the radiation. Our atmosphere blocks most of this, though it can pour down through the magnetic lines at the poles, so except in the extreme cases (and they do happen - see 1859) the radiation won't have much impact on us here on earth. 2. The solar storm will inflate the earth's atmosphere causing greater drag on low earth orbit satellites. That will affect their orbit and could eventually cause them to deorbit - crash.

      Despite that this solar storm is still in the M class, just short of the X class storms that we can expect to see as the sun nears Solar Max in its 11 year cycle.

      Visit http://www.spaceweather.com to keep up to date on what the sun is doing.
      boomchuck1
      Reply Vote

    • Kill a Satellite?

      Why, yes.

      It would just remain in its orbit until it drifted out after some long time. Eventually, after decades, it will drop back to earth. If it cannot be controlled, it cannot be boosted into a safe high orbit.
      Fetrow
      Reply Vote

  • 11 year cycle

    OK, examining the last pic, it looks like the Sun had a peak in 2001. So, is it due to hit its 11 year peak in 2012? Interesting ...
    Hal_9001
    Reply Vote

    • 2013, not 2012

      It hits peak in 2013, not 2012.

      And no this is not linked to your end of the world mumbo jumbo.
      Bearpowers
      Reply Vote

      • re:2013

        Yep, and ur comment about the end of the world is funny...
        sgreene72
        Reply Vote

    • 11 Years?

      The 11 year cycle is a very rough estimate. It has been more rough over the past many decades.
      Fetrow
      Reply Vote

  • Hope nothing major comes out of this.

    I am just sitting here in my office reading through some articles about the Solar storm. I really hope nothing major happens. I have way to many orders at http://www.lindenbrooke.com to place and paper work that is way behind.

    Lets just hope all we get is a nice light show tonight over the sky.
    Lindenbrooke
    Reply Vote

    • Hey Lindenbrooke- you have "way to many orders" to your own site to place?

      ZDnet should block you- you parasitic advertiser-- you won't get orders or much courtesy from me for your sneaky link.
      Jim Farmer
      Reply Vote

      • Sorry, I did not intend it to be advertising

        I certainly did not mean it to be an advertisement. I honestly didn't even think the site would show. My next post I will leave the address out, I don't advertise our business that way, we are on the up and up. Sneaky is this, we spend hours everyday blocking BOTS that are scrapping our site and using our information to redirect to another site. A lot of time gets spent on finding and blocking these BOTS, now that's sneaky.
        Lindenbrooke
        Reply Vote

    • This was not meant to be an advertisement.

      We do not operate our business by putting sneaky links on forums. Most time's when we post, the link is not a hyper link. We will never include our link again. As I stated below, we spend hours everyday trying to block bots from scrapping our site and using our information to redirect to there site, that's sneaky and that is who WE ARE NOT!
      Lindenbrooke
      Reply Vote

  • How is your item dated 8th March? The ZDNet bulletin went out on the 7th!..

    Solar flares affect the future too??
    :-)
    pjher
    Reply Vote

  • * * * RUMOR HAS IT . . . . .

    This latest solar flare will turn the magnetic poles around on earth.
    What that means is. . [i]we'll all find ourselves walking on our heads.[/i]
    fm-usa
    Reply Vote

  • Messed with my computers and GPS

    But so far it's just slightly annoying.
    Sceptical Observer
    Reply Vote

  • yilmazx

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    http://www.africanmangosiparis.com/
    yilmazx
    Reply Vote

  • Take a closer look...

    This star-wars-like scary creature seen to the right of the flare may be responsible for the all that mess.
    Les Blachut
    Reply Vote

  • Solar apocolyptic armagednun !

    OMG! I can FEEL the burn!
    Life is over, as we know it!
    But! Will the scary solar flare interrupt my ZDNut connection? This is what is really important!
    Claude Balloune
    Reply Vote
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