Solar Flares, CME, Carrington Effect

–

Solar flares produce geomagnetic storms (CMEs) that can affect ANY country in the world, and knock out power for months or years.

What is the current threat?

–

This is a compilation of different well written sources. References are given.

Definition:

CME

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection

= Coronal Mass Ejection – is a massive burst of solar wind, other light isotope plasma, and magnetic fields rising above the solar corona or being released into space.

Coronal mass ejections are often associated with other forms of solar activity, most notably solar flares, but a causal relationship has not been established. Most ejections originate from active regions on Sun’s surface, such as groupings of sunspots associated with frequent flares. CMEs occur during both the solar maxima and the solar minima of sun activity, albeit with decreased frequency during the minima.

X-class is the largest flare.

M-class is a medium sized solar flare.

C-class is the smallest of the flares.

–

The Carrington Effect (CME)

http://chasblogspot.blogspot.com/2009/08/carrington-event.html

A Super Solar Flare

At 11:18 AM on the cloudless morning of Thursday, September 1, 1859, 33-year-old Richard Carrington—widely acknowledged to be one of England’s foremost solar astronomers—was in his well-appointed private observatory. Just as usual on every sunny day, his telescope was projecting an 11-inch-wide image of the sun on a screen, and Carrington skillfully drew the sunspots he saw.

On that morning, he was capturing the likeness of an enormous group of sunspots. Suddenly, before his eyes, two brilliant beads of blinding white light appeared over the sunspots, intensified rapidly, and became kidney-shaped. Realizing that he was witnessing something unprecedented and "being somewhat flurried by the surprise," Carrington later wrote, "I hastily ran to call someone to witness the exhibition with me. On returning within 60 seconds, I was mortified to find that it was already much changed and enfeebled." He and his witness watched the white spots contract to mere pinpoints and disappear.

It was 11:23 AM. Only five minutes had passed.

Just before dawn the next day, skies all over planet Earth erupted in red, green, and purple auroras so brilliant that newspapers could be read as easily as in daylight. Indeed, stunning auroras pulsated even at near tropical latitudes over Cuba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, El Salvador, and Hawaii.

Even more disconcerting, telegraph systems worldwide went haywire. Spark discharges shocked telegraph operators and set the telegraph paper on fire. Even when telegraphers disconnected the batteries powering the lines, aurora-induced electric currents in the wires still allowed messages to be transmitted.

"What Carrington saw was a white-light solar flare—a magnetic explosion on the sun," explains David Hathaway, solar physics team lead at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The explosion produced not only a surge of visible light but also a mammoth cloud of charged particles and detached magnetic loops—a "CME"—and hurled that cloud directly toward Earth.

The next morning when the CME arrived, it crashed into Earth’s magnetic field, causing the global bubble of magnetism that surrounds our planet to shake and quiver. Researchers call this a "geomagnetic storm." Rapidly moving fields induced enormous electric currents that surged through telegraph lines and disrupted communications.

–

–

The Biggest Solar Storm in History

It was the 2 September 1859 -the day after Carrington had notice the solar flare. The clipper ship Southern Cross was off Chile when, at 1:30am, it sailed into a living hell.

Hailstones from above and waves from all around whipped the deck.

When the wind-lashed ocean spray fell away to leeward, the men noticed they were sailing in an ocean of blood.

*** This reminds me of the sea turning to blood in Revelation.

Could a huge fiery flare from the sun coming to earth cause the sea to appear red?

Rev 8:
[8] And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
[9] And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

REV. 16:
[3] And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

–

The colour was reflected from the sky, which, they could see – even through the clouds – was wreathed in an all-encompassing red glow.

The sailors recognized the lights as the southern aurora that usually graced the skies near the Antarctic Circle, just as their northern counterparts cling to the Arctic. To see them from this far north was highly unusual.

As the gale subsided, they witnessed an even more astonishing display.

Fiery lights loomed against the horizon as if some terrible conflagration had engulfed the Earth.

Vivid bolts flew across the now clear sky in spiral streaks and exploded in silent brilliance, as if the very souls of all humanity were fleeing whatever cataclysm had befallen the planet.

Upon their arrival at San Francisco, the ship’s company discovered that theirs was not an isolated experience.

Two thirds of the Earth’s skies had been similarly smothered. Also, there was a sinister side to the aurora.

The beguiling lights had disabled the telegraph system, wiping out communications across the world.

For days, nature refused to allow these arteries of information to flow freely. It was as if today’s Internet had suddenly, inexplicably shut down. Worse still, the aurora also threatened life and limb.
In Philadelphia, a telegrapher was stunned by a severe shock. In some offices the equipment burst into flames.

In Bergen, Norway, the operators had to scramble to disconnect the apparatus, risking electrocution. On top of this, compasses spun uselessly under the grip of the aurora, disrupting global navigation.

–

Solar flares now

It’s obvious the flare caused considerable trouble back in 1859.

What impact would such a solar storm have on our modern world, if it occurred today?

According to the NAS report, a severe space weather event in the US could induce ground currents that would knock out 300 key transformers within about 90 seconds, cutting off the power for more than 130 million people.

How the solar storm would effect each country in the world depends on their level of dependency on electronic and technical systems.
–

–

Solar flares and global famine

http://www.examiner.com/exopolitics-in-seattle/solar-cycle-24-solar-flares-social-collapse-or-crushing-cold-temperatures-and-global-famine

Canadian journalist Lorne Gunter writes in February 2009: “According to Robert Toggweiler of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Princeton University and Joellen Russell, assistant professor of biogeochemical dynamics at the University of Arizona — two prominent climate modellers — the computer models that show polar ice-melt cooling the oceans, stopping the circulation of warm equatorial water to northern latitudes and triggering another Ice Age.

Gunter observes, “The last time the sun was this inactive, Earth suffered the Little Ice Age that lasted about five centuries and ended in 1850.

Crops failed through killer frosts and drought.

Famine, plague and war were widespread.

Harbours froze, so did rivers, and trade ceased.”

“The old solar cycles produced very intense solar storms.

The greatest solar storm in modern time known as the Carrington flare of 1-2 September 1859 occurred in Solar Cycle 10.

In addition to the Carrington flare, several other massive solar storms occurred during the old solar cycles.

These massive solar storms occurred on

12 October 1859,

4 February 1872,

17-18 November 1882,

30 March 1894,

31 October 1903,

25 September 1909 and

13-16 May 1921.

“If a solar storm of the magnitude of the Carrington flare were to occur today, the effect on our modern technologically dependent society would be grave.

Of these, the greatest threat would lie in the loss of stable electrical power. A massive solar storm could destroy many of the large custom Extra High Voltage (EHV) power transformer in the United States.

Imagine the effect of a total power blackout for months/years on 100 million people in the U.S. along with many millions across the globe.

Imagine the effect on the entire earth, if it was big enough.

–

–

An increase in Earth’s cloud cover (due to CME) produces a global drop in temperature.

This is despite the fact that during that same time period, atmospheric carbon dioxide (at Mauna Loa) has risen 5% from 367 ppm to 386 ppm.

The main threat from a ‘Dalton Minimum’ or ‘Maunder Minimum’ event is famine and starvation (affecting millions or hundreds of millions worldwide) due to shortened growing seasons and harsher weather.

In the past, in addition to great famines, this cold harsh weather has also lead to major epidemics.

–

Examples:

–

During the Dalton Minimum-1

“The Hudson River at the New York Harbor froze, enabling people to walk across the ice from Manhattan to Staten Island.

The Hudson froze over completely during particularly brutal winter of 1779/1780, when the surface was solid for five weeks straight and the British rolled cannons over the ice.

In 1821, taverns were constructed in the middle of the river to offer warmth and refreshment to pedestrians. [Sources: When New York Harbor Froze Over, 1779-1780 and F.Y.I.]

–

During the Dalton Minimum-2

“From 1803 to 1806, Captains Lewis and Clark lead a transcontinental expedition to explore the greater Northwest. During the winter of 1804/1805, the explorers set up a winter base camp near the Big Knife River near what is today the town of Bismarck, North Dakota. The winter was bitterly cold.

There were 6 days with temperatures of -30oF or lower. These occurred in 1804 on December 12 (-38oF), December 17 (-45oF), December 18 (-32oF), in 1805 on January 10 (-40oF), January 11 (-38oF), and January 13 (-34oF).

Compare this to the current low temperatures of Bismarck, North Dakota in which only one day in the past decade fell below -30oF. On January 15, 2009 the temperature fell to -44oF. [Sources: (1) The Journals of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, (2) Weather Underground for Bismarck, ND ]

–

During the Maunder Minimum

“During the Great Frost of (1683–1684) in England, the River Thames was completely frozen for two months, the ice was 11 inches thick at London. Sea ice was reported along the coasts of southeast England, and ice prevented the use of many harbors.

The sea froze, so that ice formed for a time between Dover and Calais, joining England and France. (It is more likely that the shorelines froze and a great mass of densely packed icebergs, some 11 feet thick, built up along the coastlines fusing into a semi-rigid structure that may have connected the two shorelines together.)

The Thames was recorded to have frozen over at London during the years: 1649, 1655, 1663, 1666, 1667, 1684, 1695, 1709, and 1716. [Sources: River Thames Frost Fairs and Historical Weather Events 1650-1699] [See also: The Great Frost of 1683-4 and Where Thames Smooth Waters Glide]

–

During the Little Ice Age

Growing seasons in England and Continental Europe generally became short and unreliable, which led to shortages and famine. These hardships were nothing compared to the more northerly countries: Glaciers advanced rapidly in Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia and North America, making vast tracts of land uninhabitable.

The Arctic pack ice extended so far south that several reports describe Eskimos landing their kayaks in Scotland.

Finland’s population fell by one-third, Iceland’s by half, the Viking colonies in Greenland were abandoned altogether, as were many Inuit communities. [Sources: The Deniers: Our Spotless Sun]

–

Previous recent CME storms – effects

A similar flare on March 13, 1989, provoked geomagnetic storms that disrupted electric power transmission from the Hydro Québec generating station in Canada, blacking out most of the province and plunging 6 million people into darkness for 9 hours; aurora-induced power surges even melted power transformers in New Jersey.

In December 2005, X-rays from another solar storm disrupted satellite-to-ground communications and Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation signals for about 10 minutes. This would be dangerous for aviation which uses GPS.

Canada and many of the Scandinavian countries have experienced the most electrical damage from solar storms, because of their proximity to the North pole.

–

–

Current status of sun – Enormous Ring is Developing on the Sun

http://www.lambslain.com/2010/10/solar-storms-and-emp-threats-enormous.html

Solar Storms and CME/EMP Threats

"What do you think would happen to society without power, water, food, and fuel? It’s not a pretty picture. People will begin dying off by the end of the first week — those without a minimal storage of water or those who live in regions where water is not immediately available to them. Desperation will result in a rampage of crime with hoards searching for food and water. Within several weeks, a complete civil breakdown will be underway as mass migration out of the major cities creates extremely dangerous conditions while people search for food, water and supplies. You get the idea." – Global Power Grid Vulnerability into 2012, Modern Survival Blog, May 6, 2010

What is this strange ring that has been developing on the Sun?

Sunspot 1112, located in the southeast quadrant, has been the source of a giant filament that is currently stretching 400,000 km across the surface of the Sun.

However, today, there appears to be development of a enormous circular ring which looks to be linking with the huge magnetic filament of sunspot 1112.

Most of today’s various wavelength images of the Sun all show this feature over at the SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory) — NASA website.

SpaceWeather.com today reports:

A vast filament of magnetism is cutting across the Sun’s southern hemisphere today. A bright ‘hot spot’ just north of the filament’s midpoint is UV radiation from sunspot 1112. The proximity is no coincidence; the filament appears to be rooted in the sunspot below.

If sunspot flares, it could cause the entire structure to erupt.

This active region merits watching…

What concerns me is that if indeed this is a huge magnetic filament nearly encircling the entire Sun, it is now currently directly facing the Earth.

If sunspot 1112 does erupt, could the entire filament explode into a massive CME?

This particular phenomenon will be all over in a few days as it rotates around the Sun, but it serves to remind us that there are more and more events happening on the Sun as we transit into the next solar cycle maximum (peaking ~ 2012 into 2013).

–

–

What would happen without Power and Electricity?

First to go – immediately for some people – is drinkable water.

Anyone living in a high-rise apartment, where water has to be pumped to reach them, would be cut off straight away.

For the rest, drinking water will still come through the taps for maybe half a day. With no electricity to pump water from reservoirs, there is no more after that.

There is simply no electrically powered transport: no trains, underground or overground.

Our just-in-time culture for delivery networks may represent the pinnacle of efficiency, but it means that supermarket shelves would empty very quickly – delivery trucks could only keep running until their tanks ran out of fuel, and there is no electricity to pump any more from the underground tanks at filling stations.

Back-up generators would run at pivotal sites – but only until their fuel ran out. For hospitals, that would mean about 72 hours of running a bare-bones, essential care only, service. After that, no more modern healthcare.

The truly shocking finding is that this whole situation would not improve for months, maybe years: melted transformer hubs cannot be repaired, only replaced.

Even when some systems are capable of receiving power again, there is no guarantee there will be any to deliver.

Almost all natural gas and fuel pipelines require electricity to operate.

Coal-fired power stations usually keep reserves to last 30 days, but with no transport systems running to bring more fuel, there will be no electricity in the second month.

…With no power for heating, cooling or refrigeration systems, people could begin to die within days.

There is immediate danger for those who rely on medication.

Lose power to New Jersey, for instance, and you have lost a major centre of production of pharmaceuticals for the entire US.

Perishable medications such as insulin will soon be in short supply.

"In the US alone there are a million people with diabetes," Kappenman says. "Shut down production, distribution and storage and you put all those lives at risk in very short order."

–

–

–

Conclusion:

Be prepared physically and spiritually. Get to know God. Trust in Jesus.

Get down on your knees in prayer and humble yourself before the Creator.

Only he can save you in a case like this.

–

–

–

–

See also:

Sunspot activity, economic stress, and terrorism?  Click here for more

Earthquakes increase in end times. Click here for more

To read about solar eclipses connected to end time events, Click here for more.

To read about solar cycle 24 and the end times, Click here for more.

To read about star signs in the end times. Click here for more.

To read about famine in the end times Click here for more.

To read about earthquakes increasing in Jerusalem in the end times Click here for more.