Coronal Mass Ejection headed to Earth on Oct. 30

The sleeping giant seems to have awoken.  Although the Sun is in a solar maximum, it has been relatively quiet - that is until recently.  The Sun has released three solar flares in the last three days. The latest flare was an X-class flare, which is the most intense flare the sun releases.  Be prepared for some solar storms on the 30th of October since the latest flare was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME).  At the very least this CME will cause some beautiful auroras and at the most extreme ends can disrupt our satellites and power grids.  

Government Plans Power Outage Drills

I have long expressed concerns over a potential power grid failure, as have many other individuals and organizations.  Finally, this issue is gaining much needed focus from government officials.  A joint drill is scheduled to take place in the US, Canada, and Mexico.  This drill will include many agencies - FBI, terrorism experts, government agencies, and utility workers.  This drill is set to take place November 13 and 14 and will focus on government reactions to such a crisis.

4% of power disruptions related to CME activity

 Lockheed Martin has released new research which revealed about 4% of power disruptions from 1992 to 2010 were correlated with the heightened solar activity (CME activity).  This information is in contrast with government reports that reported zero disruptions were related to the solar activity during the same time frame.  

With the upcoming predictions of solar extremes later this year, I wonder what (if any) impact these disruptions may have on our power and electronic systems.

Sun Unleashes Flare that Disrupts Communications on Earth

A mid-level solar flare was released today by the Sun.  This flare disrupted communications briefly on Earth.  To date, this is the largest solar flare that has been released by the Sun in 2013.  The solar maximum is expected to occur late 2013.  

This full-disk view of the sun was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 11, 2013, during the strongest solar flare yet seen in 2013. Space.com