“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” -Alexander Graham Bell
The Sun, contrary to what you might normally think about it, isn't a constant, uniform source of radiation. It has an active surface, replete with temperature variations, sunspots, and occasionally a large flare or mass ejection.
Image credit: NASA / GSFC / SDO.
But on very rare occasion, a flare like this makes it way through space and just happens to make its way towards Earth, where this hot, fast-moving ionized plasma collides with us. While the aurorae it produces can be spectacular, some of the other unwanted effects can be catastrophic!
Image credit: NASA / ISS expedition crew 23.
What will it means if we get hit by a big one? Find out the truth -- separated from sensationalism and fear -- here!
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Typo:
3.) Out atmosphere
should be:
3.) Ou__R__ atmosphere
Sort of.
So I'm guessing I pull the main breaker -- the big one that has 2 handles -- that still leaves the ground wire. Since I don't think I can count on my electrical utility to respond in a timely way.
Then maybe shut off the gas? Because those pipes will carry a surge too, right?
Heck, I dunno.
Particles are not 'bent', they are deflected. Sloppy language for a science based article.
I think you may be either missing the point of some of concerns, or setting up a straw man argument. The concern (at least as expressed by more responsible sources) isn't that anyone is facing direct, personal danger for a CME but rather that the resulting infrastructure damage (GPS, power grid, air traffic control systems, mission critical electronics in utilities, hospitals, manufacturing, etc.) would be a massive blow to the world economy, and people would suffer from the secondary and tertiary impacts of this.
Is there any hope of actually getting informed in advance of collision? Unless someone is capable and responsible for alerting the general population -- and actually willing to do so as warranted, we're all gonna die.
I came here from Medium. I just want to say that I love what you are doing here. Thank you for the information.