Hi, right now there is little activity on the sun and one would have 
expected it to gradually start to pickup around this time.  How does the 
peek of 2001 compare to other cycles?  Some people have said that that cycle 
wasn't real active compared to other ones.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Danny Dyer" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009 8:32 PM
Subject: Re: Solar storm could shut down U. S. for month


> Thanks For That Article! May I Share It? Thanks, Danny Dyer, Wb4idu
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Junior Lolley" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009 7:54 PM
> Subject: Solar storm could shut down U. S. for month
>
>
>> By Robert Roy Britt
>>
>> A new study from the National Academy of Sciences outlines grim
>> possibilities on Earth for a worst-case scenario solar storm.
>>
>> Damage to power grids and other communications systems could be
>> catastrophic, the scientists conclude, with effects leading to a 
>> potential
>> loss of governmental control of the situation.
>>
>> The prediction is based in part on a major solar storm in 1859   that
>> caused
>> telegraph wires to short out in the United States and Europe, igniting
>> widespread fires.
>>
>> It was perhaps the worst in the past 200 years, according to the new
>> study,
>> and with the advent of modern power grids and satellites, much more is at
>> risk.
>>
>> "A contemporary repetition of the [1859] event would cause significantly
>> more extensive (and possibly catastrophic) social and economic
>> disruptions,"
>> the researchers conclude.
>>
>>
>>
>> 'Command and control might be lost'
>>
>> When the sun is in the active phase of its 11-year cycle, it can unleash
>> powerful magnetic storms   that disable satellites, threaten astronaut
>> safety, and even disrupt communication systems on Earth.
>>
>> The worst storms can knock out power grids by inducing currents that melt
>> transformers.
>>
>> Modern power grids are so interconnected that a big space storm - the 
>> type
>> expected to occur about once a century - could cause a cascade of 
>> failures
>> that would sweep across the United States, cutting power to 130 million
>> people or more in this country alone, the new report concludes.
>>
>> Such widespread power outages, though expected to be a rare possibility,
>> would affect other vital systems.
>>
>> "Impacts would be felt on interdependent infrastructures with, for
>> example,
>> potable water distribution affected within several hours; perishable 
>> foods
>> and medications lost in 12-24 hours; immediate or eventual loss of
>> heating/air conditioning, sewage disposal, phone service, transportation,
>> fuel resupply and so on," the report states.
>>
>> Outages could take months to fix, the researchers say. Banks might close,
>> and trade with other countries might halt.
>>
>> "Emergency services would be strained, and command and control might be
>> lost," write the researchers, led by Daniel Baker, director of the
>> Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of 
>> Colorado
>> in Boulder.
>>
>> "Whether it is terrestrial catastrophes or extreme space weather
>> incidents,
>> the results can be devastating to modern societies that depend in a 
>> myriad
>> of ways on advanced technological systems," Baker said in a statement
>> released with the report.
>>
>> Stormy past
>>
>> Solar storms have had significant effects in modern time:
>>
>> In 1989, the sun unleashed a tempest that knocked out power to all of
>> Quebec, Canada.
>>
>> A remarkable 2003 rampage
>>  included 10 major solar flares over a two-week period, knocking out two
>> Earth-orbiting satellites and crippling an instrument aboard a Mars
>> orbiter.
>>
>> "Obviously, the sun is Earth's life blood," said Richard Fisher, director
>> of
>> the Heliophysics division at NASA. "To mitigate possible public safety
>> issues, it is vital that we better understand extreme space weather 
>> events
>> caused by the sun's activity."
>>
>> "Space weather can produce solar storm electromagnetic fields that induce
>> extreme currents in wires, disrupting power lines, causing wide-spread
>> blackouts and affecting communication cables that support the Internet,"
>> the
>> report states. "Severe space weather also produces solar energetic
>> particles
>> and the dislocation of the Earth's radiation belts, which can damage
>> satellites used for commercial communications, global positioning and
>> weather forecasting."
>>
>> Rush to prepare
>>
>> The race is on for better forecasting abilities, as the next peak in 
>> solar
>> activity is expected to come around 2012
>>
>> While the sun is in a lull now, activity can flare up at any moment, and
>> severe space weather  how severe, nobody knows  will ramp up a year or 
>> two
>> before the peak.
>>
>> Some scientists expect the next peak to bring more severe events than
>> other
>> recent peaks.
>>
>> "A catastrophic failure of commercial and government infrastructure in
>> space
>> and on the ground can be mitigated through raising public awareness,
>> improving vulnerable infrastructure and developing advanced forecasting
>> capabilities," the report states. "Without preventive actions or plans,
>> the
>> trend of increased dependency on modern space-weather sensitive assets
>> could
>> make society more vulnerable in the future."
>>
>> The report was commissioned and funded by NASA. Experts from around the
>> world in industry, government and academia participated. It was released
>> this week.
>>
>> Copyright C 2009 Imaginova Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may
>> not
>>
>>
>>
>> Junior Lolley kg4itd
>> Liberty Co. e. c.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.5/1884 - Release Date: 1/9/2009 
8:38 AM