4 ms·

M8.2 is in the upper medium range (M = M1.0 to M9.9). Next comes X1 which is 10 times stronger than M10. M2 is 10 times stronger than M1. We might see several

M8.2 is in the upper medium range (M = M1.0 to M9.9). Next comes X1 which is 10 times stronger than M10. M2 is 10 times stronger than M1. We might see several of these per year during a solar maximum. So maybe we get some nice auroras. Edit, TIL: Though the G4 is a different issue, which classifies the impact of a solar flare on our earth. These range from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). This means that it can disrupt radio communications and GPS, put stress on power grids and, interestingly, increase satellite drag. G4 storms are rare events and occur only a few times per 11-year solar cycle.

dylan604 1y ago
> interestingly, increase satellite drag. was reading something about this last week. originally, I assumed that the satellite electronics were getting whacked, but that wasn't the actual reason. these storms can heat the atmosphere causing it to expand/swell during the heating which causes extra drag requiring faster than anticipated use of fuel for station keeping. just another one of those issues of just how everything in the universe "works together" in the most interesting ways.
- perihelions 1y ago
  A while back an entire Starlink launch was lost due to this atmospheric inflation, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30267587 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30267587 ("Starlink lost 40 satellites to a geomagnetic storm (spacex.com)", 495 comments)
nozzlegear 1y ago
> G4 storms are rare events and occur only a few times per 11-year solar cycle. Did you mean G5 storms? If I'm reading NOAA correctly, we get about 100 G4 storms per cycle, but only 4 G5 storms per cycle. https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation
OskarS 1y ago
I've read there was a huge solar flare in the 19th century that knocked out telegraph equipment all over the world. Do we know how strong that event was on that scale?
- sva_ 1y ago
  You're probably referring to the Carrington Event https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event The instruments to measure the strength of solar flares didn't exist, but I think it's estimated between X40 to X50. For comparison, last may the strongest flare was X8.7 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2024_solar_storms https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2024_solar_storms

dylan604 1y ago

> interestingly, increase satellite drag. was reading something about this last week. originally, I assumed that the satellite electronics were getting whacked, but that wasn't the actual reason. these storms can heat the atmosphere causing it to expand/swell during the heating which causes extra drag requiring faster than anticipated use of fuel for station keeping. just another one of those issues of just how everything in the universe "works together" in the most interesting ways.

perihelions 1y ago
A while back an entire Starlink launch was lost due to this atmospheric inflation, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30267587 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30267587 ("Starlink lost 40 satellites to a geomagnetic storm (spacex.com)", 495 comments)

nozzlegear 1y ago

> G4 storms are rare events and occur only a few times per 11-year solar cycle. Did you mean G5 storms? If I'm reading NOAA correctly, we get about 100 G4 storms per cycle, but only 4 G5 storms per cycle. https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation

OskarS 1y ago

I've read there was a huge solar flare in the 19th century that knocked out telegraph equipment all over the world. Do we know how strong that event was on that scale?

sva_ 1y ago
You're probably referring to the Carrington Event https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event The instruments to measure the strength of solar flares didn't exist, but I think it's estimated between X40 to X50. For comparison, last may the strongest flare was X8.7 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2024_solar_storms https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2024_solar_storms