The biggest sunspot since 1844 is sending magnetic disturbances toward Earth.... due to arrive about 24 hours from now. Big magnetic storms can throw all kinds of random impulses into running computers and phone lines, and can cause power outages. So: Back up everything that matters! Now!!!

Cheers for the heads up. Thankfully I've got most of the important stuff backed up - but I'll go double check now :o)

Sounds good to me, thanks for the tip! Marque

How long will they be lasting do you know? Marque

As if SPAM wasn't BAD ENOUGH! Now it's SUN STORMS!

Yeah? and my car didn't start during Y2K...grin

lol----:-)

I don't get the National Enquirer...what else did they say?

I didn't hear a prediction of length, but usually a magnetic disturbance lasts a few hours.

I remember the last time this happened and there were a ton of problems, no joke for me I'm looking it up. Again, thanks. Marque

And don't forget to wear your aluminum-foil hats

Attached Link: http://www.spaceweather.com

ROTFLLLLLLLL...love that pumpkin too!

No wonder all those computers went down in 1844.

I used to work with some folks that did space weather but forgot most of the good stuff. Historically speaking, you may experience power outages, especially in the higher lattitudes (look out Canada), some disruption to cell phones, pagers, and the like ... anything that uses satellites -- they're especially prone to these hazards. On the plus side, like bloodsong mentioned killer auroras, perhaps at lower lattitudes too.

Solar flare is the proper term, sometimes connected with a sunspot, sometimes not. They can cause problems with electronics, mostly at the high latitudes as our magnetic field channels the particles to the north and south poles. As an amateur astronomer, I have more than passing interest, they're just damn pretty, when strong enough that I can see them through the light polution of Milwaukee. We use terms such as curtains, beams, searchlights, to describe the different effects. Something that may be interesting to try to model.

Thye cn shure cuase porblems to us wehn weer' using oru cmoptuers. ist os uperditctabel. Forinstacne only thsi mroningn I, was a;; fsy&7&&789)))ywhand%%%@~????8(*&!"HH"""!jd?.>,<,<<,>.1h ;)

Yup, Spaceweather has them pegged. (There are actually two major flares which went off less than a day apart and which ought to make things interesting for quite a while.) I'm not sure if I should wish for an aurora visible here in the SF Bay Area or not... but I know of a few quiet places for meteor viewing which ought to be packed if we actually get an aurora! Spaceweather has a phone alert system for any astronomers in this group. Carolly

Maybe that's why everyone's DSL line in Vernon Center went on the fritz today at about noon. The phone company (our ISP) thought it was a "hiccough" in the system, but maybe it was "sunspots". They screw up my c-band satellite sometimes :) As if I don't have enough to think about!!

Whoa! So That's what I've been feeling - usually it turns out to be earthquakes! Thanks Ockham. Is there anything we can do to protect our stuff?

Oh perfect, and I just got my SAT internet day before yesterday...I better make some calls and see what all can go wrong :(

Ok, just got off the phone with DirecWay...they say it shouldn't affect my SAT...~whew~ but that a backup is always a good idea because ya never know..;)

Thanks for the link. Pretty interesting stuff.

Great oportunity to catch Saddan, the solar storm can disrupt the warp engine's work and unhide the WMDs, Saddan, the 40 virgins and Ali Baba for a short lapse of time.

I myself will be encasing myself in a lead suit..but that's got nothing to do with sunspots, I just like the feel of lead on my skin ;) I'm hoping for a free light show in the sky but, as I'm in the Uk, I'm expecting full cloud cover :)

Attached Link: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031028/ap_on_sc/solar_flare_2