August 10, 2011

The X Factor: Solar storms and life as we know it


Marcus G. -- This past week we have gone through an X class solar storm. There are three different classes of solar storms, C, M, X class. The two that are most dangerous to us are M and X classes. These classes are known to cause long and big power outs, melt electrical transformers, and cost millions of dollars of damage. The event in 1989 of an X class caused all of this. A solar storm that is estimated to happen in February 9th 2012 with equal amount of power and will cause damage all around, costing around 1-2 trillion dollars in damage. Although these phenomenon's may help lead us to finding planets that are Earth like and/are in habited by biotic organisms. If we look at suns 1/2 the mass of ours and radius means radial velocity and transit planet survey could help us find lower massed planets.

            This article for one is really shocking but also fascinating too. At first I was kind of shocked at the fact their might be a big enough solar storm to cause so much damage that it could change our view of how we see the sun. I don't know if it will happen, but I sure don't want to be around when a solar storm of such level hits us with all this technology that has not been tested against these solar storms. Although I like how the publisher ties up all this horror with something so fascinating. How that this destruction could help us find life on other planets. That if an atmosphere could survive the pounding of the solar storms from the star. Maybe these storms aren't as bad as they may seem then.

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