Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Part of sun turns into stormy 'benevolent monster'

    WASHINGTON (AP) — After years of quiet, the sun is coming alive with solar storms in a big way.

    The sun shot off a flare Thursday afternoon from a region that scientists are calling a "benevolent monster."

    Scientists at the federal Space Weather Prediction Center say that area is the most active part of the sun since 2005. It has dozens of sunspots, including one that is the size of 17 Earths. Sunspots are kinks or knots in the sun's magnetic field.

    "It's beautiful," said forecaster Jess Whittington. "It's still growing. The size is what blows me away."

    Thursday's flare wasn't aimed at Earth. However, this active region is now slowly turning toward Earth, and scientists say it will be directly facing Earth in about five days.

    That storm region will only affect Earth if it shoots off flares and they hit our planet, which doesn't always happen with stormy areas, said prediction center space scientist Joe Kunches.

    The region will be facing Earth for about two weeks as it rotates, he said.

    Solar flares send out bursts of electromagnetic energy that can occasionally disrupt communications and electrical systems.

    For the past several years, the sun has been at a quiet end of its cycle and only recently has gotten more active. Solar cycles go in 11-year period. This cycle has had fewer storms than usual for this time in its cycle. But that may be changing.

    "The sun is looking more like we think it should at this point in the solar cycle," Kunches said. "It's got a number of active centers."

    ___

    Online:

    Space weather prediction center: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov

     
    • Jeffrey  •  San Rafael, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Who said these things aren't dangerous? The biggest solar storm in history was observed in 1859, and not one of those observers are alive today!
      • J 6 mths ago
        By Golly! You're RIGHT! LOL
      • Hermit 6 mths ago
        Two thumbs up! :)
      • Jonel Cabahug 6 mths ago
        Yo, Jeffrey, solar flares like the one in 1859 did not cause global death toll to rise up. Instead, it disabled all electrical sources, causing us to live like the cavemens because we have no electricity. Solar flares are harmless to LIVING BEINGS but harmful to electricity. There is a scheduled solar flare in 2013 which will cause electricity to go down, BUT IT DOES MEAN WE'RE ALL DEAD! We'll only be electricity-less for another 3-5 years.
    • wrongAngle  •  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  •  6 mths ago
      The storm is huge and it is still growing, it will be directly facing Earth for 2 weeks , it wont affect Earth unless it flares , calling it nice names like benevolent may appease it, even though it doesn't seem to work with other natural threats...scientists have already sent a capsule of live chickens and goats as an offering .....
      • walter777777 6 mths ago
        This won't work. It doesn't want chickens and goats. NASA must send it a virgin.

        W.
      • Psychentist 6 mths ago
        Really? It's just a little storm. The most we'll see of it will be aurorae.
      • Jerry 6 mths ago
        'Walter777777': I don't think that there are any of proper age.
    • JaneQ  •  6 mths ago
      Don't worry, be happy. You can't do a thing about it anyway. We have more interference from inlaws. (attempt at humor).
      • Psychentist 6 mths ago
        Humor aside, you're entirely correct. Inlaws will have many millions of times more impact on our lives than some periodic solar hiccups.
      • vanman 6 mths ago
        Not to mention all the HOT AIR from in-laws.
      • Jerry 6 mths ago
        How about --- out-laws?!
    • Matt  •  6 mths ago
      I'm going to roll in butter and then some corn, and become the first human Popcorn stick.
      • 11 minutes ago 6 mths ago
        So you want butter on your end, like in Sanford and Son
      • Pats fan 6 mths ago
        I like it.
      • Jonathan 6 mths ago
        please sit in a kettle, I like mine sweet
    • Angus  •  Stockton, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Hey, that's neat...let's just dust off the old telescope and take a good look at the sun and AIEEE MY EYE IS ON FIRE.
      • Angus 6 mths ago
        *Safety Warning: Kids, don't ever look at the sun through binoculars or a telescope, because you will fry your eyeballs.
      • Kirstin 6 mths ago
        **Unless you have a full-aperture solar filter for it. ;-) I do! I plan on observing this active region over the next few weeks. Maybe that will make it finally rain....
      • Angus 6 mths ago
        Neat, Kristin! That sounds like an interesting project.
    • Guy  •  6 mths ago
      At what point does the 'benevolent monster' turn into a malevolent monster?
    • Yoland Roland  •  6 mths ago
      An asteroid on tuesday, and a solar flare on thursday. Next week is pretty eventful.
    • D Terrent  •  6 mths ago
      Hope we get some good aurorae out of it.
    • Hesperos  •  6 mths ago
      Benevolent monster??? The sun just IS.
    • Americans First  •  6 mths ago
      I stood out in my driveway staring at the sun for hours and I can't see anything!
    • Plumie  •  Philadelphia, United States  •  6 mths ago
      oh darn my daughters will not be able to use their iPhone's anymore darn
    • Jonathan  •  6 mths ago
      How would YOU react to a EMP burst? think about it....no refrigerator, no Dish, no Yahoo! news, no working vehicle(post-1981 model), no heater for the coming winter, no Xbox, no more working businesses that are electronically connected to the grid....I think jump rope is your new best entertainment :)
    • Justin  •  Denton, United States  •  6 mths ago
      I read about a star found in space that was billions of times bigger than our own sun, also a planet made entirely of diamond.
    • H. K  •  6 mths ago
      From NASA's page: "A substantial coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the Sun early on Oct. 22, traveled across space at a good clip, and impacted Earth on Oct. 24, 2011, causing brilliant auroras across much of the world. In the U.S., aurora reached as far as far south as Alabama."
      .
      That means we ALREADY were hit by one of the coronal flares, and nothing bad happened. Pretty northern lights, that's all.
      .
      SOHO is not just a neighbourhood in a big city, it's also a Sun-observing satellite - check out some of its pictures online and you'll have some idea of solar flares and magnetic storms. :-)
    • Mr. Pain  •  Pleasanton, United States  •  6 mths ago
      Solar flares can shoot off huge coronal mass ejections. These CMEs in turn can interfere or even destroy electronics. As a person that keeps 547 computers alive at my job I dread hearing about being in the possible wake of such an even for two solid weeks in a row....On the bright side, I'm not flying anytime soon.
    • Kerry W  •  Dallas, United States  •  6 mths ago
      At last, ham radio will flurish with contacts
    • Troy  •  6 mths ago
      This is a stark reminder that life on Earth, is finite. It is not going to last forever. And just like all other stars, where would humans be when the Sun eventually dies?
    • John T  •  6 mths ago
      Very interesting info about our sun. The cosmos is fascinating, amazing, and more than a bit scary at times.
    • Twidget  •  Baghdad, Iraq  •  6 mths ago
      So, wrap all of your PCs, Cell Phones, iPods, iPatches, iCan'ts, and iWants in aluminum foil and ground them for 2 weeks....
    • H. K  •  6 mths ago
      Even if a solar storm shoots out a flare that hits Earth, the most likely victims will be satellites, not human beings. We'll get pretty northern lights, is all. Sensitive electronics are at risk, perhaps (wouldn't want to be on the ISS), but us living things will be safe.
    [ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]
    Loading...