The secret lives of solar flares

Well another confirmation of the fact that we really do not know so much even of what happens in our solar neighbourhood:

“We’ve just learned that some flares are many times stronger than previously thought,” says University of Colorado physicist Tom Woods who led the research team. “Solar flares were already the biggest explosions in the solar system—and this discovery makes them even bigger.”

But what is really the surprise?

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), launched in February 2010, made the finding: About 1 in 7 flares experience an “aftershock.” About ninety minutes after the flare dies down, it springs to life again, producing an extra surge of extreme ultraviolet radiation. “We call it the ‘late phase flare,’” says Woods. “The energy in the late phase can exceed the energy of the primary flare by as much as a factor of four.”

So when we bring up arguments based on real science we still have to leave a fair 50% chance that this very real science in the end is not so real...

Link: NASA

Any comments? I am buffled

What's not real? This doesn't invalidate what is already known.

It's new information. That's what new tools give us, that's why they're created. New information.

reply to post by Phage

What's not real? This doesn't invalidate what is already known.

You are right. But I don't know, it's a kind of gut feeling, the sensation that we know so little of this universe (or multiverse, as somebody says).

Here the link to the complete research work: The Astrophysical Journal

I agree, honestly, this information was probably already known by somebody, somewhere, it does nothing do disprove any scientific thought, as you have suggested. It does, however, go to show that things should be looked at and inspected longer than you would normally think to.

reply to post by Phage

It's new information.

Did you know already about this? If not, aren't you surprised/fascinated too?

reply to post by Hundroid

Just because we don't know everything it doesn't mean we don't know anything or that everything we think we know is wrong.

Again from the NASA article:

What causes the late phase? Solar flares happen when the magnetic fields of sunspots erupt—a process called “magnetic reconnection.” The late phase is thought to result when some of the sunspot’s magnetic loops re-form. A diagram prepared by team member Rachel Hock of the University of Colorado shows how it works.

"the late phase is thought to result"...well they don't have any clues how it happens but respect and deep appreciation for the work of such brilliant scientists.

reply to post by Hundroid

I won't go so far to say it fascinates me. It's really interesting but I'm not a solar physicist.

I'm sure the solar physicists are pretty fascinated though and where they take this new information no one knows. That's the way it works. New tools = new knowledge = new ideas = new tools to check out new ideas....
Science.

reply to post by Phage

it doesn't mean we don't know anything or that everything we think we know is wrong.

Your intelligence must make you aknowledge that the possibility everything we know is wrong is still on the table

reply to post by Hundroid

Your intelligence must make you aknowledge that the possibility everything we know is wrong is still on the table

No.
Some of what we think we know may very well be wrong, but not all of it. We know the Earth is round. We know the Earth orbits the Sun. We know the Moon orbits the Earth. We know a lot about quantum mechanics or you wouldn't be reading this right now.

This is how they managed to figure it out:

SDO was able to make the discovery because of its unique ability to monitor the sun’s extreme UV output in high resolution nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With that kind of scrutiny, it’s tough to keep a secret--even one as old as this.

The perfect employee, working 24/7...efficient and hard working team members are the key to success!

reply to post by Hundroid

A damned fine instrument.
A great tool.

I am not a solar physicist too, maybe that's why this part of the article truly amazes me:

“We call it the ‘late phase flare,’” says Woods. “The energy in the late phase can exceed the energy of the primary flare by as much as a factor of four.”

Up to four times more energetic that the flare itself! Now I don't know if more energetic=stronger=more troubles for us Earthlings and in the end it's probably not so important. The very question in my opinion is "where does this surplus of energy come from?"

Well I am going to read the full research...when I will find the time

Originally posted by Phage
What's not real? This doesn't invalidate what is already known.

It's new information. That's what new tools give us, that's why they're created. New information.

edit on 9/20/2011 by Phage because: (no reason given)

Could mean you're half as accurate shooting down those 'other' facts now!

reply to post by Hundroid


Well with that thought anything is possible. Pigs can fly too, somewhere, in some far off universe. lol

To null everything that we have observed or theorized so far without any proof of it being all wrong is just silly.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by Hundroid

 

Your intelligence must make you aknowledge that the possibility everything we know is wrong is still on the table

No.
Some of what we think we know may very well be wrong, but not all of it. We know the Earth is round. We know the Earth orbits the Sun. We know the Moon orbits the Earth. We know a lot about quantum mechanics or you wouldn't be reading this right now.

edit on 9/20/2011 by Phage because: (no reason given)

edit on 9/20/2011 by Phage because: (no reason given)

You might give some thought to orbits as not only helical, but trailing much the same as inside a cork screw. Your take on quantum mechanics recently received a boot in the arse. If you're not familiar with a term coined 'pilot waves,' I suggest you brush up on your knowledge.

Originally posted by mnmcandiez
reply to post by Hundroid

 

Well with that thought anything is possible. Pigs can fly too, somewhere, in some far off universe. lol

To null everything that we have observed or theorized so far without any proof of it being all wrong is just silly.

edit on 9/20/2011 by mnmcandiez because: (no reason given)

Doesn't void... Promotes new perspectives, interpretations, and direction. Sure, you can drive backwards long enough until you get to where you're going, but there's certainly a better way.

reply to post by Hundroid

Since (as the article notes) this isn't a new phenomenon (only new to us), there isn't any reason to think that it would affect us any differently than it has in the past.

In any case solar flares don't have any direct effect on Earthlings, especially the UV emissions. They increase ionization in the upper atmosphere which can mess up radio communications a bit but the wavelengths they're talking about don't penetrate to the surface.

reply to post by Phage

In any case solar flares don't have any direct effect on Earthlings, especially the UV emissions.

Hmmm I doubt about this, during solar minimum you can make excellent violins: Maunder Minimum

Some scientists hypothesize that the dense wood used in Stradivarius instruments was caused by slow tree growth during the cooler period. Instrument maker Antonio Stradivari was born a year before the start of the Maunder Minimum.[5]

reply to post by Hundroid

I was referring to any single solar flare (and the delayed UV burst) in particular.

Since temperatures in Europe started dropping before the Maunder Minimum it's far from certain that the low sunspot numbers were related.