Spaceweather.com has recently discovered that a sunspot 80,000km long and 40,000km wide or nearly 8 times the size of earth and the NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has predicted that there is a 50% chance that earth will endure medium sized M flares over the next week as reported on ZEENEWS.com . Discovered on the 3rd of November it would have to rotate and be facing earth to have an affect. Recently articles have been release stating that the sun while entering in to its solar maximum has been calming down. We have seen over the past few weeks a different story. Activity seems to have been ramping up as of late were auroras were seen as far south as Michigan in stunning clarity on October 25, 2011.
Sunspots form over an area of the sun where there are intense magnetic fields. The tension created will make it to a breaking point and create CME (Coronal Mass Ejections). This is when the buildup becomes too great and the sun fires a violent shock wave of matter and charged ions that create solar winds. We know them as solar flares and the things that cause all of the beautiful lights in the sky over Alaska. We are general protected by these waves of radiation by our Earth’s magnetic field.
We have seen warnings from scientists like Dr. Michio Kaku who explained on Fox News Channel that science had been wrong about the suns inactivity and that data is showing that in the mid 2012 we could see some of the strongest solar storms of our planets history. Now granted the nice Fox reporter made more jokes about his Blackberry not working but the warning was there just the same.
In 1859 the Earth had another strong large class flare hit it. With no satellites or sensitive electronic to affect the flare when highly unnoticed by man and with no internet or national news to describe it most missed the event. The countries technology, still though primitive, took a massive hit reporting telegraph lines throughout the country catching on fire along with radio signal interruptions. The auroras were seen as far south as Baltimore.
In today’s world of computers, GPS, cell phones and other much needed electronics that same flare could have done some real damage. Power stations and satellites are just some of the concerns. Most of the planet is ran by electronic so the hopes are that we will fall under the latter 50% of NOAA prediction