When I tried to use my Card today communications were down. I later heard on radio something about a solar flare taking out some communication equipment. I didn't think they were suppose to hit until fall. Did anyone else hear anything about this?

-- Moore Dinty moore (not@thistime.com), April 06, 1999

Answers

No solar flare today. Must have been something else.

Check out this web site:

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/today2.html

This will give you a 3 day forecast.

There are also some other interesting links on this site. Check it out.

-- (Boilerman7@powerhouse.com), April 06, 1999.

They aren't that predictable. The peak is middle of the year or so, but that's just the general peak.

-- Shimrod (shimrod@lycosmail.com), April 06, 1999.

Also at:

http://sec.noaa.gov/today.html

The X-ray chart shaows an event occurring at approximately 0600Z April 6, possible this was energetic enough to damage a satellite. It shouldn't have affected any earth-based systems.

BTW, solar flares aren't "scheduled" in any but a very loose sense. We are currently approaching the peak of the 11-year sunspot cycle and flares will increase as we get closer. Interestingly, the downside of any solar cycle (in this case, after 2000) sees more and greater flares than the period approaching maximum.

-- sparks (wireless@home.here), April 06, 1999.

-- . (,@...), April 06, 1999.

Solar flares come from storms on the Sun's surface. Their overall frequency rises and falls in an approximately 11-year cycle, but it is not some smooth process. The cycle's peak is simply an interval of a year or two during which the frequency of storms remains significantly higher than average. A solar storm may occur at any time.

Analogy: frequency of thunderstorms on the US Great Plains. They're most frequent in the summer, but have occurred during all months of the year. Twice I've been near the path of tornadoes spawned by December thunderstorms.

-- No Spam Please (No_Spam_Please@anon_ymous.com), April 06, 1999.

Shimrod, sparks, had I known you were posting just ahead of me, I'd have let you do the answering.

-- No Spam Please (No_Spam_Please@anon_ymous.com), April 06, 1999.

Thanks for info. I only got the tail end of the news report the other day. Will look up references.

-- Moore Dinty moore (not@thistime.com), April 08, 1999.