Level S4 solar radiation event • Hacker News Board

Re: Level S4 solar radiation event

#191

Post by ck2 » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 7:58 PM UTC

gexla wrote: post #90

8bitsrule wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

G4: " Induced pipeline currents affect preventive measures, HF radio propagation sporadic..." G5: " Pipeline currents can reach hundreds of amps, HF (high frequency) radio propagation may be impossible in many areas for one to two days..."

"Cool! What's G13 do?" - Bill Hicks Looks like G5 is the highest level and the scale system is used by NOAA.

G13 could be a gamma-ray burst from a collapsing star less than 100 light years from earth

in which case, don't worry about it as we won't be around to worry about it further

astro-physics is AMAZING (until it kills you lol)

Re: Level S4 solar radiation event

#192

Post by dosnem » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC

buildbot wrote: post #184

markonen wrote: post #173

Just had my first uncorrectable memory read error on our servers in 10 years or so today (in Sacramento). I'd like to think it's related because the alternative (buying new DIMMs) is too horrifying to contemplate

Last major storm I saw a significant number of single bit errors on my main server - never happened again, still using the same ram. So +1 anecdote

Is this detectable without some parity checks?

Re: Level S4 solar radiation event

#193

Post by fransje26 » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 8:04 PM UTC

ccozan wrote: post #63

rob74 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, there were auroras even as far south as Munich. Maybe not as intense, but it's the first aurora I ever saw, so I can't really judge...

I am south-west of Munich and with a perfect clear sky I could only see stars, one meteor, and that's it.

It was visible in the 22:00-23:00 time window. Here in the south west, the sky started turning green around 22:30.

Re: Level S4 solar radiation event

#194

Post by sebastiennight » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 8:49 PM UTC

miduil wrote: post #132

justinator wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waiting until it's like a G6, Like a G6 Now I'm feelin' so fly like a G6

Thanks, really had to listen to the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWRJC8ap9B4

[dead]

Re: Level S4 solar radiation event

#195

Post by trashface » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 8:51 PM UTC

Scott Manley just did a video on radiation shielding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJcbevbBzsc

Based on that, I presume the astronauts on the ISS will need to take cover due to this event

Re: Level S4 solar radiation event

#196

Post by danielheath » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 9:44 PM UTC

dosnem wrote: post #192

buildbot wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Last major storm I saw a significant number of single bit errors on my main server - never happened again, still using the same ram. So +1 anecdote

Is this detectable without some parity checks?

No, but ECC ram gives you _hardware_ parity checks, which is much faster and doesn’t require you to change your code.

Re: Level S4 solar radiation event

#197

Post by jokull » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 9:56 PM UTC

smcnally wrote: post #169

jokull wrote: post #158

As seen from my apartment in Reykjavík Iceland: https://ss.solberg.is/89N0qS7T

That’s beautiful. But you get aurora even sans G4, true? Was this more intense and spectacular?

Yes - not seen it this red though.

Re: Level S4 solar radiation event

#198

Post by johng » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 10:04 PM UTC

These solar events can cause loss of communication with satellites making avoidance maneuvers hard or impossible. This article just came out recently and is definitely scary: https://www.universetoday.com/articles/28-days-to-disaster-w...

Re: Level S4 solar radiation event

#199

Post by Kunsang » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 10:10 PM UTC

neogodless wrote: post #94

Kunsang wrote: post #79

Discussion of the event https://community.spaceweatherlive.com/topic/4210-x19-cme/

This is definitely not a language I speak! Flux and bZ!

I understand maybe half of this, but I followed the discussion and knew when it was about time to go outside.

Re: Level S4 solar radiation event

#200

Post by MORPHOICES » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 10:19 PM UTC

[dead]