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Last week I finished off the Alternative power for the home series. This week I decided to talk about what a CME and Solar flare are. Each can affect us differently. I have noticed that a lot of folk’s just don’t know what they are, some haven’t even heard of them. If that is you, then I suggest you read through today’s post about Coronal Mass Ejection vs Solar Flare. They can both prove deadly in their own little way’s.
What is a Coronal Mass Ejection?
A CME happens when a significant amount of plasma and magnetic field’s blast out from the Solar corona. The blast’s are powerful enough to go well beyond Earth.
The largest recorded Geomagnetic storm, presumably a from a CME was dubbed the Carrington Event. That happened back on September 1st 1859. Telegraph systems all over North America and Europe stopped working.
What is a Solar Flare?
A Solar Flare is a sudden blast of intense high-energy radiation from the sun. They sometimes accompany a CME. A Solar Flare is more of a local event, as opposed to a CME which goes well beyond Earth.
The most powerful Solar Flare which was the first one observed, was during the Carrington event.
What can a CME affect?
CME’s create major Geomagnetic storms. They carry more material than a Solar Flare, which can be disastrous for an astronaut caught out in one. The chance of that happening are very slim, since there is quite a bit of warning. They can also do some damage to satellites, usually from the surge in energy to the electrical system, but it can also do damage to the satellite itself.
If we were to have a CME of the magnitude of the Carrington Event, we could expect that most if not all of the transformer’s and substation’s would blow and the power would go out Nation wide or even Globally. They make around 100 of these transformers a year.
In May 1921 the earth suffered from an extraordinarily powerful CME. During this event, a railroad station burned down in New York. Northern light’s appeared in most of the Eastern US. The Geomagnetic storm lasted from May 13th to May 15th.
In 1989 we had another Geomagnetic storm that was 1/10th of the power of the 1921 storm. It caused a few of the massive transformer’s to blow. One in Quebec, one in New York and another in the UK.
A storm the size of the 1921 geomagnetic storm, they estimate will take out 370 of these massive transformers in the US. Globally it could be around 2,000+-. They make around 100 of these transformers a year. So Globally, were looking at around 20 year’s just to be able to get electricity back up and running again.
The 1921 storm was 50% weaker than the 1859 storm. The 1921 storm is about a 1 in 8 decade event. The 1859 Storm is about a 1 in 500 year event. We are about 16 years past due for another Geomagnetic storm.
In 2012 we missed a CME that was stronger than the Carrington event, by about 9 days ahead of our orbit around the sun. One that big would of Wiped out electronic systems world wide .A 2013 study estimated that the cost to the US to repair everything would of been between $0.6 and $2.6 Trillion Dollars.
Within a month or two, the Nuclear power plant’s could start melting down. That is unless the government is able to keep supplying the plant’s with fuel to run the generator’s that would allow the worker’s to safely shut down the power plant’s.
What can a Solar Flare affect?
They can impact the Magnetosphere and pose a risk for spacecraft and the astronauts. A Solar Flare can also interrupt communication’s, effect the accuracy of our GPS units, and satellites.
A Solar Flare isn’t nearly as powerful as a CME, so the effect’s that it can have on us here on earth are small compared to what a CME can do.
I hope that you have found this information helpful. If you still have any question’s about Solar Flare’s and CME’s then be sure to comment below.
Next week I will discuss what you need to know in the Event of a long term Nationwide blackout. How to prepare for such and event and what all you can expect to go on during that time. Also I will let you know of step’s that you can take to ensure the livelihood of your pet’s.