Hi everyone

There has been an huge CME and Solar Storm over the night and it will hit here and light up the sky with the northern and southern light display. But thats not why I am telling you I am saying that if it hits the magnetosphere in the wrong way it could fry the circuits in your Computers and it is possible that it can do damage to your computer. I am not saying it will but it is possible so I suggest if you get to see this message do not turn on your computer tonight wait til tommorow and see how serious it is.

This is just advice I don't know how bad it is but I think it is always best to be cautious. If you use a laptop don't plug it in the power and you can use it without worry.

Cheers

Karl

A good surge protector can also protect your computer, as the biggest danger is voltage spikes and over-voltage conditions.  That's a good investment even without solar storms, as nearby lightning strikes, wind (or vehicles) knocking the poles down, and many other causes can result in the same effect. 

Any electronic or voltage-sensitive device could be affected if this causes major power grid fluctuations, not just computers. 

However, it looks like we dodged the bullet this time. 

N Kalanaga

Your not wrong there nkalanaga
I have a Surge protector but I am sometimes overcautious and I didn't want to take chances of my mac getting fried. There is a question I have wanted to ask you do you know if the sun gives off gamma radiation I know the bigger stars do but the sun is much smaller and less violent I think it does I know it doesn't do Gamma Ray Bursts because the atmosphere would be gone.

Cheers

Karl

The Sun does produce gamma rays, especially from solar flares.  Even on the bigger stars the gamma and X-rays aren't much of a threat to atmospheres.  The biggest problem there is solar wind, and a magnetic field blocks that.

Where flares become a problem is on the red dwarfs.  Their flares can be as big as Sol's, and on such a small star, can easily be several times as bright as the normal stellar luminosity.  With any habitable planets huddled close to the star, the radiation may be a threat to life, and the extra heating and CME's will erode the atmosphere.  Even there, though, some scientists believe that quieter red dwarfs won't destroy a planet's atmosphere if it has a magnetic field, and a dense atmosphere will block the radiation, so life may still be possible.  If so, the flares may actually be a benefit to the plants.  Shorter wavelengths are more energetic, which makes photosynthesis easier, and the plants may evolve to use infrared and red for survival, and the yellows and blues for extra energy when available.

Some stars do produce "super flares", which can strip a planet's atmosphere.  Some of them are powerful enough to remove Earth's atmosphere completely, and to melt ice on Jupiter's moons.  If the Sun had ever had one we'd know it, even if it missed Earth, unless it missed all of the other planets as well.   Venus or Mars wouldn't have air and Mercury and the outer icy moons would show clear signs of melting.  However, such flares seem to be the result of a close orbiting Jovian tangling the star's magnetic field, so a system like ours wouldn't have them.

With technology being overcautious is better than being unprepared!

N Kalanaga

Thanks nkalanaga


I heard saw something weird today the sun had next to it a huge tadpole like structure I believe it was after a Cornal Mass Ejection it was very weird to say the least. I was going to send a link to the page but unfortunately I can't find it. I will post a link if I do it was very interesting.

Cheers

Karl