SOLAR FLARES

It is Jupiter and not the sun that is the source of the magnetic currents in this solar system. These energies are psycho-active and are being harnessed as part of a strategy of the Strategic Defense Initiative.

From: Mitch Battros 
Subject: Earth Changes TV/Breaking News - Solar Flare Alerts

Understanding Solar Flare Alerts...08/07/99

By BBC News Online Science Editor Dr David Whitehouse
Spacecraft and ground-based telescopes monitoring the Sun detected a
major "X-class" solar flare on Monday.

Astronomers say that while not spectacularly energetic, it is the most
powerful event seen on the Sun's surface for over six months. They add
that it has interrupted radio communications on Earth.

The flare came from this region The Sun is approaching the maximum of
its 11-year cycle of behaviour and is expected to reach a peak next
year.

Solar flares are gigantic explosions that take place above the Sun's
surface due to the explosive release of magnetic energy. Magnetic fields
suddenly collapse and flash-heat gas to millions of degrees. This then
explodes in all directions with the release of high-energy radiation.

Astronomers rank solar flares into five categories according to the
extent to which they emit X-rays. Class X is the most powerful, being
tens times the intensity of M-class flares.

X-class solar flares are the rarest and the most powerful of all types
of solar flares. They can occur at any time during the solar cycle, but
are more common near the solar maximum, when sunspot regions are complex
enough to generate the conditions required to produce such powerful
solar explosions.


On impulse

Scientists describe the event as impulsive, which means that the rise of
the X-rays to the eventual maximum occurred very rapidly, within a few
minutes. Despite being the strongest flare for many months' researchers
say that only a modest amount of energy was released in terms of typical
solar flare energy.

In human terms, however, the energy involved is staggering. It would
take all of the power generating plants in the United States more than
3,000 years to produce the amount of energy that this major X-class
solar flare released in just 20 minutes.

The X-ray spike was sharp
The flare was associated with what is known as a Type II spectral radio
burst or a sweep frequency event. These radio emissions are produced
when a shock wave from the solar flare excites the Sun's hot but thin
lower atmosphere, causing clouds of electrons to be ejected.

Such type II sweeps are often an indication of a mass being ejected from
the Sun but data available about this current burst suggests that this
solar flare probably was not associated with a mass ejection.

However the X-rays from this flare were intense enough to have a
considerable impact on radio communications.

Reports suggest that in some cases the effect was strong enough to
completely blackout all radio communications between points more than
3,000 to 4,000 km apart and up to frequencies as high as 10 MHz for a
period of 15 to 30 minutes.

Trouble ahead?

Researchers say that the active region that produced this major flare
may be capable of producing another X-class flare before the sunspot
region rotates out of view behind the southwest limb of the Sun over the
next four or five days.

They are also keeping a close eye on another active region on the Sun
which is just crossing the Sun's central meridian.

That region is larger than the one that spawned the recent major flare
and may also be capable of producing a major M or X-class flare before
it rotates out of view behind the northeast limb over the next seven
days.


See our instantly updated Current Status of  Solar X-ray activity on
main menu towards bottom of page.

Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangesTV.com