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Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in 14k-year-old tree rings

phys.org

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Re: Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in 14k-year-old tree rings

#91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, not if you worked on a MacBook using an ungrounded socket in Europe, for example. Forearms are not that strongly insulated

I went to Europe years ago for work. And the adapter for my macbook work gave me wasn't grounded. Whenever I plugged my computer in I could feel a buzz when i touched the aluminum body. Others thought I was crazy. But it freaked me out and only charged when I wasn't touching it. You make me feel like I wasn't making it all up. haha!

The worst I felt was touching both a charging device and the skin of another person at the same time, did someone experienced this ? It feels weird, almost like magnet sticky, but also almost like you aren't touching the other person.

Re: Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in 14k-year-old tree rings

#92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The last time we had a significant solar storm was during the telegraph age, the Carrington Event of 1859: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event "telegraph systems all over Europe and North America failed, in some cases giving their operators electric shocks. Telegraph pylons threw sparks" No doubt this historical one is much more significant, but even another 1859 Carrington would be a huge disaster - the…

> "...in some cases giving their operators electric shocks. Telegraph pylons threw sparks" The real life precursor of exploding starship screens/consoles

There was a great radio ecoshock episode about this a couple years ago. Let me see if I can dig it up.

https://www.ecoshock.org/2017/03/emp-instant-blackout.html

The guy's journalistic style is certainly on the alarmist side but the scholarship is pretty solid and unusually expansive.

From the text:

"Because most utilities have not protected their giant transformers, and there are no replacements, the grid would stay down for at least a year, or a decade, or forever. There are ways to protect the system, but a captured Washington regulation system has not pushed for these simple steps.

A hostile power aside, our expert guest tells us an EMP hit is “inevitable” within the time of those living now, because the Sun can also crash our electrical systems world-wide.

A large solar storm, big enough to do it, was seen in 1859. It’s called the Carrington Event. If part of the Sun blows our way, all satellites are knocked out. The wires of our electric system act like antennae, receiving the deadly pulse."

I doubt the doomsayer timetable but the industrial capacity and delivery concern is absolutely valid.

If this actually happened, I think community solar would be choked as it gets ramped up everywhere at once and some neighborhoods would have power centers to go charge lithium ion portable power packs as the overall grids become decentralized. Shelf-stable, non-refrigerated food would become the norm and people would just make do with less electricity. We'd go back to a cash economy and things like night time entertainment that relied on sound systems and electric lights would become almost non-existent. Without street lights, nighttime in general would be dramatically quieter

The real problem would be people who have to use battery powered medical devices who don't have convenient ways to charge.

But yes, huge problem regardless

Re: Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in 14k-year-old tree rings

#93

We really need to start harden our grid and in all ways prepare for something like this. It will happen again and I suspect we will say: “no one could have predicted it” once it does.

but consider the standard used for water grid 'hardening': 1-in-100-year flood

Re: Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in 14k-year-old tree rings

#94
post #82

What would be the impact of solar storm on nuclear power plants ? Would we have several Fukushimas ?

Direct impact should be negligible, but perhaps some impact on water pumps could be a problem as was the case for Fukushima.

Re: Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in 14k-year-old tree rings

#95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went to Europe years ago for work. And the adapter for my macbook work gave me wasn't grounded. Whenever I plugged my computer in I could feel a buzz when i touched the aluminum body. Others thought I was crazy. But it freaked me out and only charged when I wasn't touching it. You make me feel like I wasn't making it all up. haha!

The worst I felt was touching both a charging device and the skin of another person at the same time, did someone experienced this ? It feels weird, almost like magnet sticky, but also almost like you aren't touching the other person.

Yes, I have felt this numerous times with my wife's aluminium laptop. Touching the surface feels weird

Re: Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in 14k-year-old tree rings

#98
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's Apple's weird choice of not using a Schuko plug, opting for a two-pole connector attached to their MacBook power brick instead, even where ground is available, isn't it? I thought old school VDE rules were such that if your device has conducting parts outside, you're supposed to ground these, but I'm not an EE. Anyway the Apple power brick makes a poor impression indeed.

The plug part is still detachable, and at least previously you'd receive both a long cord with Schuko to attach there and a short plug with just two prongs. I guess the two prong thing is standard now?

[deleted]

Re: Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in 14k-year-old tree rings

#99
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's Apple's weird choice of not using a Schuko plug, opting for a two-pole connector attached to their MacBook power brick instead, even where ground is available, isn't it? I thought old school VDE rules were such that if your device has conducting parts outside, you're supposed to ground these, but I'm not an EE. Anyway the Apple power brick makes a poor impression indeed.

The plug part is still detachable, and at least previously you'd receive both a long cord with Schuko to attach there and a short plug with just two prongs. I guess the two prong thing is standard now?

Yeah, got both with my old 2015 MBP but only the two-prong with the 2023 one. Though the two-prong plug is still detachable from the brick so I presume Apple would be happy to sell me a Schuko+cord for some exorbitant price.

Re: Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in 14k-year-old tree rings

#100
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Abolish capitalism and greed. All attempts at that turned out worse through.

Abolishing part of core human nature... anything less ambitious? Its so easy to be the doomsayer, the 'I told ya so' guy etc... It takes much more mental strength to see the forest for the trees - we humans are extremely resilient and adaptable, and even in worst situations there is always tons of natural good in our hearts. And no society didn't collapse during covid, far from it. Some folks simply mistake change wi…

It's not meant as a doomsayer - we developed effective vaccines and we failed at distributing them to all humans - western countries paid ton's of tax money and some people got very rich - every else people died preventable deaths. From a technological point of production and distribution of the vaccines was possible. It didn't happen because there was no profit. Same reason even in Germany you can't get antibiotics. I'm not even go as far as in the US where a lot of people can't afford basic healthcare. In an catastrophic event goods necassary for survival will have a price and there will be a black market that will be brutal. I think and hope there is a way to distribute and create required goods fairly but I don't know how to establish and enforce such a system.
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