**Huge Massive CME Just Now!!**

soho.esac.esa.int...

Biggest one I have seen in a long time, hope it isn't headed toward Earth.

I don't know exactly how this ranks, but looked big to me.

Phage?

Doesn't load for me. Are there any pictures?

Wont load for me either. Whats up?

reply to post by downtown436


The one heading left was big,

I thought I noticed a smaller one to the right later on.

Did you 2 two as well?

It loaded on Windows Media for me.



[edit on 3/9/09 by masqua]

Oh crud, it was an old video of the one on the 31st of aug. Sorry.

[edit on 3-9-2009 by downtown436]

reply to post by masqua


Yeah there was a big one to the left on the 31st, and then a smaller intensity one that was larger diameter on the right, earlier today.

[edit on 3-9-2009 by downtown436]

Oh my goodness.

That was impressive. Short and not so sweet.

Need some explanation on this.

S & F

reply to post by downtown436



Oh well... had me thinking of going out to see the Aurora.

It was quite a show from what I heard. Missed it all.

Originally posted by downtown436
Oh crud, it was an old video of the one on the 28th of aug. Sorry.

Its started on the 28/08/09 but ended just before the small one on the right happened which was September 1, 2009 so only a couple days ago

reply to post by TrainDispatcher


Thanks! That was quick with the pics my friend.

reply to post by downtown436


You can check here for alerts
www.swpc.noaa.gov...

there is some pressure on our magnetosphere, just starting to turn yellow.
I don't know if this has anything to do with the CME.



How long would it take to affect the magnetosphere if it was headed our way?

Originally posted by masqua
reply to post by downtown436

 

Oh well... had me thinking of going out to see the Aurora.

It was quite a show from what I heard. Missed it all.

www.swpc.noaa.gov...
You can sign up
"AURORA ALERT: Did you miss the Northern Lights? In July they descended as far south as Nebraska. Next time get a wake-up call: Spaceweather PHONE. "

Originally posted by wycky
there is some pressure on our magnetosphere, just starting to turn yellow.
I don't know if this has anything to do with the CME.



How long would it take to affect the magnetosphere if it was headed our way?

www.space.com...

Speed Limit Found For Solar Storms
By Robert Roy Britt
Senior Science Writer
posted: 07:00 am ET
14 June 2004

Potentially disruptive solar storms can't reach Earth in less than half a day, scientists have determined.

That means operators of vulnerable satellites, airline officials and power grid managers can expect several hours of warning for any electrical disturbance shot from the Sun.

Warnings are provided by NOAA's Space Environment Center based on observations by NASA's sun-watching SOHO spacecraft and other craft. When space storms approach, engineers put some satellites into sleep mode, airlines are rerouted away from polar regions where more radiation leaks through the atmosphere, and major electrical lines are safeguarded against overloads.

The worst Sun storms are called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). They're made of charged particles flung from intense magnetic fields on the solar surface. CMEs are sometimes but not always generated at the sites of solar flares, which are in turn associated with sunspots.

Initial radiation from a solar flare, including X-rays, travels to Earth at the speed of light. But the charged particles of a CME, which expand into space like a growing cloud, present greater hazards to the electrical systems aboard Earth-orbiting satellites. Radio transmissions on Earth can be disrupted and entire power grids can be tripped, though such events have proved rare.

There are many factors behind the damage potential of any CME, including whether it is directed squarely at Earth, how strong it is, and whether its magnetic field is oriented the same or opposite to that of Earth. How fast it moves also contributes to its strength upon arrival.

"The faster the CME, the more potentially destructive it can be, so for a worst-case scenario, we now know we have at least 12 hours to take preventative measures," according to Nat Gopalswamy of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Some CMEs take two days to traverse the roughly 93 million miles between Sun and Earth. The most powerful solar flare in modern times occurred last Nov. 4. It was not directed at Earth, so its associated CME took about 24 hours to arrive and the effects were limited. But it was the fastest CME on record, moving at 6 million mph (2,700 kilometers per second). It would have hit within 15 hours had it been aimed at the planet.

Two back-to-back strong flares a few days before, in late October, kicked up CME blasts that each arrived in about 19 hours. Scientists were surprised at the speed of travel. But no one knew if there were any limits.

Gopalswamy's team examined records going back to 1859, presenting their results earlier this month at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

The researchers conclude a CME's top speed is related to a limit on the amount of energy available to propel it off the Sun.

The propulsion mechanism involves twisted magnetic fields that snap, flinging energy into space. Their strength is in turn controlled by the size of "active region" that generate flares and CMEs. These active regions contain sunspots, which are cooler, darker, and act as caps on the magnetic energy. When the cap is released, the storms spew into space somewhat like soda released from a shaken bottle.

The active region that generated the November 2003 storm was 17 times larger than the entire surface of Earth. It was the biggest seen in the current solar cycle. The 11-year cycle is now ramping down toward a minimum of activity, expected in 2007 or 2008.

Originally posted by Nventual
Doesn't load for me. Are there any pictures?

You have to have Quicktime.
It looks impressive.

reply to post by Pauligirl


Thanks for the info

And... my favorite (mainly because I like things simple so I don't have to work out the calculations):

space weather

reply to post by downtown436


That mpeg movie ends on 8/29/2009

I missed it. But since the images are from SOHO, which is between the Sun and Earth, it means that it wasn't pointed in our direction. It can also be seen on the STEREO Behind images, aimed to the west even from that point of view.
stereo-ssc.nascom.nasa.gov...

If its origin was not visible from SOHO (hidden behind the coronograph disc) and if it was on the east from STEREO B's point of view, that would mean things might have gotten a bit interesting for us. But I have no idea of how intense it really was. As impressive as it looked, remember the SOHO sensors are very sensitive. For reference, here's a really big one:
sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov...

We are seeing an increase in the solar wind speed that's a result of the coronal holes which have been appearing on a fairly regular basis.

I've noticed that the permanent coronal hole at the north pole of the Sun seems to be expanding. That is supposed to be an indication that we're moving further into the new solar cycle. There was a very small, brief sunspot that's pretty much gone already.

[edit on 9/4/2009 by Phage]