5 ms·

The Magnetic Field Is Shifting. The Poles May Flip. This Could Get Bad

38 points by anarbadalov 9y ago

gpapilion 9y ago
I really wish this included a specific when. It points out a lot of dire consequences, but doesn’t give any strong discussion of the immanence of the impending event.
- fzzzy 9y ago
  I don't think anybody knows. I find the historical data to be extremely interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Magnetic_Pole#/media/File:Magnetic_North_Pole_Positions_2015.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Magnetic_Pole#/media/Fil...
- iamben 9y ago
  Seconded. Read and figured I'd missed it, so read again. Also couldn't see any mention of how long it takes. Like "it's happening now, but we think it may X number of years."
- nerdponx 9y ago
  I recall reading an article ~10 years ago that said it happens every 25,000 years or so, and that we aren't anywhere close to the next one.
  - dragonwriter 9y ago
    AFAIK, the current understanding is that while geomagnetic reversals happen, they have no periodicity, and can be as quick as hundreds of years apart (a pair of which seems to have occurred around 41,000 years ago), or as long as tens of millions of years (several of which have occurred.)
dmm 9y ago
The earth's magnetic field plays an important role is protecting the surface from cosmic radiation. Maybe people will start to insist on ECC memory once cosmic rays start messing with their netflix.
- sebazzz 9y ago
  Sounds like a rowhammer from outer space.
gelo 9y ago
This reads like a scaremongering article.
- knodi123 9y ago
  Yep, just like the perennial (and nominally true) favorites "yellowstone will blow up and cripple western civilization" "a solar storm will blow up our nation's telecommunications infrastructure" "a super-flu will kill 30% of americans"
  - fao_ 9y ago
    Eh? The latter two are nominally true. They could happen whenever, but so far haven't. The former two will definitely happen we just don't know the time scale. Yellowstone is on a timer that we don't have access to, and there are projects to drill down into it and deplete the heat, giving us electricity and solving the problem. With respect to the magnetic pole, this is something that is actually happening. Observe The magnetic pole in 2009: https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=North_Magnetic_Pole&params=84.9_N_131.0_W_&title=Magnetic+North+Pole+2009 https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=North... The current position of the magnetic pole: https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=North_Magnetic_Pole&params=86.5_N_172.6_W_&title=Magnetic+North+Pole+2017+est https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=North...
- rrmm 9y ago
  It's a plug for the book the essay is from. It barely introduces the subject. The book might be interesting and explore all of this stuff in depth, but excerpting a section like this is poor form. It's on a website so it shouldn't be a space issue. If your going to advertise your book like this, the reader should get something out of it.
- wlll 9y ago
  Is it not true? If it is true then it seems like a good idea to let people know, I myself didn't know about this phenomenon before and feel better informed. If it's not true, or the danger is being far overblown then speak up here and let us know.
partiallypro 9y ago
Why is this trending? They were saying this nonsense on Ancient Aliens on History (which I've watched because it's trash TV and fun,) or all of those other doomsday shows you saw especially around 2012.
glitcher 9y ago
> Even flushing a toilet or filling a car’s gas tank would be impossible. Huh? Is she trying to say those systems will also fail as a result of losing the electric power grid, or something else?
- Harvey-Specter 9y ago
  No, poops will be confused about what direction is north if the magnetic field flips, resulting in them migrating up and out of the toilet, instead of down into the sewers.
- dmannorreys 9y ago
  You need electricity to pump gas and water. However, you might be able to continue flushing your toilet as long as the water tower contains water.
  - sebazzz 9y ago
    Water towers, huh. We don't even have them in the Netherlands. (not many anyway)
    - eesmith 9y ago
      FWIW (I researched it because I found it odd), Google Translate of https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watertoren https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watertoren says: > In the heyday there were around 260 water towers in the Netherlands. Currently there are still 170 water towers, about half of which are still in use. ... Nowadays, the task of water towers in the Netherlands has been taken over by a control system with frequency-controlled pumps.
billygoat 9y ago
> The field is weakening over South America, and the red area over North America is losing strength. This nonsensical caption, saying the exact same thing twice while using different words, wins the award for the worst writing I've read today. And I read a lot today. Sigh, another garbage clickbait headline pointing to a scaremongering article with nothing new to say. Nice website design, though. Pretty!! :-(
- staplers 9y ago
  A signal for the current state of readership on HN. Article stands at +23 as of this comment.
- heavymark 9y ago
  Was just thinking the same.

38 points by anarbadalov 9y ago

I really wish this included a specific when. It points out a lot of dire consequences, but doesn’t give any strong discussion of the immanence of the impending event.

fzzzy 9y ago
I don't think anybody knows. I find the historical data to be extremely interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Magnetic_Pole#/media/File:Magnetic_North_Pole_Positions_2015.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Magnetic_Pole#/media/Fil...
iamben 9y ago
Seconded. Read and figured I'd missed it, so read again. Also couldn't see any mention of how long it takes. Like "it's happening now, but we think it may X number of years."
nerdponx 9y ago
I recall reading an article ~10 years ago that said it happens every 25,000 years or so, and that we aren't anywhere close to the next one.
- dragonwriter 9y ago
  AFAIK, the current understanding is that while geomagnetic reversals happen, they have no periodicity, and can be as quick as hundreds of years apart (a pair of which seems to have occurred around 41,000 years ago), or as long as tens of millions of years (several of which have occurred.)

dmm 9y ago

The earth's magnetic field plays an important role is protecting the surface from cosmic radiation. Maybe people will start to insist on ECC memory once cosmic rays start messing with their netflix.

sebazzz 9y ago
Sounds like a rowhammer from outer space.

gelo 9y ago

This reads like a scaremongering article.

knodi123 9y ago
Yep, just like the perennial (and nominally true) favorites "yellowstone will blow up and cripple western civilization" "a solar storm will blow up our nation's telecommunications infrastructure" "a super-flu will kill 30% of americans"
- fao_ 9y ago
  Eh? The latter two are nominally true. They could happen whenever, but so far haven't. The former two will definitely happen we just don't know the time scale. Yellowstone is on a timer that we don't have access to, and there are projects to drill down into it and deplete the heat, giving us electricity and solving the problem. With respect to the magnetic pole, this is something that is actually happening. Observe The magnetic pole in 2009: https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=North_Magnetic_Pole&params=84.9_N_131.0_W_&title=Magnetic+North+Pole+2009 https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=North... The current position of the magnetic pole: https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=North_Magnetic_Pole&params=86.5_N_172.6_W_&title=Magnetic+North+Pole+2017+est https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=North...
rrmm 9y ago
It's a plug for the book the essay is from. It barely introduces the subject. The book might be interesting and explore all of this stuff in depth, but excerpting a section like this is poor form. It's on a website so it shouldn't be a space issue. If your going to advertise your book like this, the reader should get something out of it.
wlll 9y ago
Is it not true? If it is true then it seems like a good idea to let people know, I myself didn't know about this phenomenon before and feel better informed. If it's not true, or the danger is being far overblown then speak up here and let us know.

partiallypro 9y ago

Why is this trending? They were saying this nonsense on Ancient Aliens on History (which I've watched because it's trash TV and fun,) or all of those other doomsday shows you saw especially around 2012.

glitcher 9y ago

> Even flushing a toilet or filling a car’s gas tank would be impossible. Huh? Is she trying to say those systems will also fail as a result of losing the electric power grid, or something else?

Harvey-Specter 9y ago
No, poops will be confused about what direction is north if the magnetic field flips, resulting in them migrating up and out of the toilet, instead of down into the sewers.
dmannorreys 9y ago
You need electricity to pump gas and water. However, you might be able to continue flushing your toilet as long as the water tower contains water.
- sebazzz 9y ago
  Water towers, huh. We don't even have them in the Netherlands. (not many anyway)
  - eesmith 9y ago
    FWIW (I researched it because I found it odd), Google Translate of https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watertoren https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watertoren says: > In the heyday there were around 260 water towers in the Netherlands. Currently there are still 170 water towers, about half of which are still in use. ... Nowadays, the task of water towers in the Netherlands has been taken over by a control system with frequency-controlled pumps.

billygoat 9y ago

> The field is weakening over South America, and the red area over North America is losing strength. This nonsensical caption, saying the exact same thing twice while using different words, wins the award for the worst writing I've read today. And I read a lot today. Sigh, another garbage clickbait headline pointing to a scaremongering article with nothing new to say. Nice website design, though. Pretty!! :-(

staplers 9y ago
A signal for the current state of readership on HN. Article stands at +23 as of this comment.
heavymark 9y ago
Was just thinking the same.