So any idea when the next solar thingy dingy that-shuts-down-electricity

[Narwhalosh Whalescream]

I need to know when i should prepare my tinfoil protection:/

[Kujako]

I think he's talking about solar flares causing an EMP that destroys society.

Short answer, not gona happen. It's just a tv/movie trope. Long answer, magnetosphere.

[Narwhalosh Whalescream]

I have no idea what you're talking about - can you elaborate a bit more? Or was this thread created based on sarcasm?

=

I think he's talking about solar flares causing an EMP that destroys society.

Short answer, not gona happen. It's just a tv/movie trope. Long answer, magnetosphere.

Oh okay, thanks:>

[Deleted]

You need a new hobby man.

[Dhrizzle]

He probably means a coronal mass ejection, long term predictions of those aren't really doable but don't worry NASA have it covered and the distance from the sun to the earth mean they have plenty of time to warn satellite operators and electricity companies.

[Kulanae]

I think he's talking about solar flares causing an EMP that destroys society.

Short answer, not gona happen. It's just a tv/movie trope. Long answer, magnetosphere.

I disagree. Right now the sun is in a maximum state for flares and the Earth's magnetic field is weakening for a possible pole reversal within the next 200 years. And while this would have no meaningful impact on living organisms, our communication systems, GPS and power grid could be affected dramatically.

[Army Dreamer]

i should prepare my tinfoil protection

You should have never taken it off in the first place.

[Puri]

I disagree. Right now the sun is in a maximum state for flares and the Earth's magnetic field is weakening for a possible pole reversal within the next 200 years. And while this would have no meaningful impact on living organisms, our communication systems, GPS and power grid could be affected dramatically.

And yet it has not happened (on a large scale). So there is no statistical data to say how probable such an event would be.
And as long as we don't know how likely this would happen, we can categorize it exactly like a metor hit, supertwisters or supervolcanoes: It might happen, but until it happens it simply is fabric for B-movies.

[Kulanae]

I don't know how probable it is that I am going to die in the next X years.......but it is a certainty that it is going to happen.

[Deleted]

And yet it has not happened (on a large scale). So there is no statistical data to say how probable such an event would be.
And as long as we don't know how likely this would happen, we can categorize it exactly like a metor hit, supertwisters or supervolcanoes: It might happen, but until it happens it simply is fabric for B-movies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859

this happened about 150 years ago. We had something called Telegraphs back then. The entire network across EU and NA failed back then. there were DISCONNECTED terminals that started receiving data. Operators got electric shocks from it. The aurora was strong enough to wake miners in the rocky mountains, and for people in the north to read their newspaper by. Events of that magnitude happen every 500 years, with events at 1/5th of that magnitude happen multiple times per century.

[Deleted]

The last one was supposed to be in 2012.
The next one....I don't know,though apparently its supposed to be until 2020.