Hi Everyone,

I just saw an article today that the sun just emitted a huge solar flare what will strike earth in a few days. Does anyone know the worst that can happen with these large flares? If one large enough were to ever hit the earth would it wipe out electronics outside alone or would it impact indoor electronics run on batteries? It just made me curious.

Here is an article regarding the flare

 

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-solar-flare-20120712,0,6885961.story

Worst case scenario could be an EMP. A powerful enough EMP could knock out everything electronic on Earth, unless it was in a grounded Farraday cage.

 

Possible but not probable.

So will this mean my ride on the bike down to Texas will be a hot one this weekend??

Worst case scenario could be an EMP. A powerful enough EMP could knock out everything electronic on Earth, unless it was in a grounded Farraday cage.

 

Possible but not probable.

 

Accoding to Nat Geo's Preppers you can use an aluminum garbage can with a 12v battery and jumper cables to make one too!

Space.com has a good writeup on it. Nothing to worry about with one of this size. In modern history they have been known to cause regional power outages (1989 an X15 flare caused an outage in Canada). There was a mega one in 1859 that set telegraph stations on fire from the sparks and an aurora was visible in Cuba. Something that size would be a problem today, but I've read that is a 500 year event. Other activity is mostly normal and part of the I think 11 year solar cycle.

 

http://www.space.com/16560-major-solar-flare-erupts-giant-sunspot.html

 

 

It's ok I've got you covered.

Tin foil hats $9.99 all sizes in stock

 

Accoding to Nat Geo's Preppers you can use an aluminum garbage can with a 12v battery and jumper cables to make one too!

 

I think I remember the episode you are talking about, a old army vet with a battery powered tricycle thing. I thought he used the battery, jumper cables and garbage can to test his Farraday cage inside the can, the battery somehow acted as an emp.

 

ETA:

Tin foil hats $9.99 all sizes in stock

 

That is outrageous, I bought my tin foil hat 2 months ago for half that price.

Yesterday morning, everyone's car radios where getting stations bleeding over from other staitions or harmonics. Haven't seen them that bad in years.

My wife asked me last night. She said everyone in her office was freaked... Everyone was complaining no matter what station they were tuned to. I told her about the flares and they can do that.

All in all... its a good time for ham operators... as long as we don't get hit with one with the capabilites of an EMP. That's why ham operators keep a lot of old radio equipment around that just uses tubes and hard wired components. EMPs don't hurt them.

 

I think I remember the episode you are talking about, a old army vet with a battery powered tricycle thing. I thought he used the battery, jumper cables and garbage can to test his Farraday cage inside the can, the battery somehow acted as an emp.

 

What I remember was him jumping the battery in his truck directly to the can with a radio inside. I'm pretty sure he just reached in and pulled it out, but I could be forgetting the detail of a a farraday cage being inside it. I DO remember thinking WTF is this guy doing?!

What I remember was him jumping the battery in his truck directly to the can with a radio inside. I'm pretty sure he just reached in and pulled it out, but I could be forgetting the detail of a a farraday cage being inside it. I DO remember thinking WTF is this guy doing?!

 

LOL, I remember him filtering his piss through a charcoal filter, drinking it, and giving it to his wife to drink.

everyone's car radios where getting stations bleeding over from other staitions or harmonics.

 

I noticed it as well, and I'm thinking WTF, what's going bad now. Heh. I usually follow space weather but I've been busy lately so haven't been keeping up.

Hi Everyone,

I just saw an article today that the sun just emitted a huge solar flare what will strike earth in a few days. Does anyone know the worst that can happen with these large flares?

 

I think the worst thing that can happen is it could spark another John Cusack movie.

LOL, I remember him filtering his piss through a charcoal filter, drinking it, and giving it to his wife to drink.

 

At least they were classy and used wine glasses.

Oh I remember that, the water still had a yellow color...Nasty! Perhaps put it through once more..lol!

Whew, that was close. I guess I will turn off "The End" and go put away my album until the next one. :ph34r:

LOL! I was really just wondering if electronics could be effected inside the house if a large solar flare was to hit and not just electronics connected to the walls. Could it impact battery operated devices?

Yep, even inside... Just solid state devices for the most part. Have to be a biggy though...

 

LOL! I was really just wondering if electronics could be effected inside the house if a large solar flare was to hit and not just electronics connected to the walls. Could it impact battery operated devices?

 

 

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Actually, the realistic worst case scenario is not an EMP that takes out all electronics, but a flare strong enough to take out our really large transformers. We have like 90 or so of those transformers int he US, and the capacity to build 3 a year. So.... yeah.

Flare is a small one. X 1.4. Just cause some really good light shows for those farther north. Might cause distortion with cellular phones, cause some satellite disruptions for TV, nothing major.

 

We had one in March I believe. Big one, X 5 or around there didn't do anything but cause an awesome light show over Europe. 2003 saw a larger flare that cause some major disruptions, but nothing catastrophic. There would have to be a HUGE flare to cause a major catastrophe to happen.