Huge Solar Flare
 

On June 7th the Sun had a huge solar flare.
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Another version:
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Wow, that's huge!

FIFY

Watch the timecode in the top video. It takes *TWO HOURS* to go *UP*. before it starts to rain downward again.

I knew solar flares were expected this year.
But weren't they also expcted to wipe out all our satellites or communication or electricity or something?

That might have been from an old sci-fi book.

I'm in pretty much the best place I ever lived if that happened now.
I'd be safer with Wolf, Merc, Zip, Sarge etc. But here I would be with my family & Diz. I'm too sentimental to live in the Brave New World.
I'm with the 'rents and good neighbours and my siblings (a walk away). We'll all die slowly from starvation and thirst together.

Lovely!

well, this one, though it is merely medium sized (!!!!), is pointed at a space where the earth is not. If you look at the video you can notice that the sphere of the sun is rotating from left to right. The explosion happens on the lower right side, and is moving away from the point of view of the camera as it happens. Assuming the camera is in the area of the earth, this would mean that this flare is "spraying" past us, hence the reporting of a "glancing blow" to earth and our technological penumbra.

Sundae, yes, a solar maximum is expected in 2011-12 (damn those Mayans, its ALL THEIR FAULT, including the volcanoes). And yes, it could be quite damaging. Did you know that ATMs and stock market transactions rely on satellite GPS signals for their timestamps? Cut these signals off, and all ATMs cease to function. Hmm.

As BigV says, this one was pointed away from us. Lucky for us.

Imma go buy a few more cans of food. Just in case.

Someone's car must have broken down on the Sun.