http://www.news.com.au/technology/sun-s ... 5909999465
AFTER 10 years of comparative slumber, the sun is waking up - and it's got astronomers on full alert.
This week several US media outlets reported that NASA was warning the massive flare that caused spectacular light shows on Earth earlier this month was just a precursor to a massive solar storm building that had the potential to wipe out the entire planet's power grid.

NASA has since rebutted those reports, saying it could come "100 years away or just 100 days", but an Australian astronomer says the space community is betting on the sooner scenario rather than the latter.

Despite its rebuttal, NASA's been watching out for this storm since 2006 and reports from the US this week claim the storms could hit on that most Hollywood of disaster dates - 2012.

Similar storms back in 1859 and 1921 caused worldwide chaos, wiping out telegraph wires on a massive scale.

The 2012 storm has the potential to be even more disruptive.

"The general consensus among general astronomers (and certainly solar astronomers) is that this coming Solar maximum (2012 but possibly later into 2013) will be the most violent in 100 years," astronomy lecturer and columnist Dave Reneke said.

"A bold statement and one taken seriously by those it will affect most, namely airline companies, communications companies and anyone working with modern GPS systems.

"They can even trip circuit breakers and knock out orbiting satellites, as has already been done this year."

Regardless, the point astronomers are making is it doesn't matter if the next Solar Max isn't the worst in history, or even as bad as the 1859 storms.

It's the fact that there hasn't been one since the mid-80s. Commodore had just launched the Amiga and the only digital storm making the news was Tetris.

No one really knows what effect the 2012-2013 Solar Max will have on today's digital-reliant society.

Dr Richard Fisher, director of NASA's Heliophysics division, told Mr Reneke the super storm would hit like "a bolt of lightning", causing catastrophic consequences for the world's health, emergency services and national security unless precautions are taken.


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/sun-s ... z0xjUFnMIs

Wow, i haven't got any food prepped yet or anything, hopefully this doesn't happen but i guess all we can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

I just read another article somewhere that says the expected rise in Solar activity hasn't occurred and scientists are shocked that the Sun has gone suddenly dormant.

Although I have to say, my 4 year old cell phone drops calls like crazy, every time we are getting pummeled by solar flares, so I suspect the thing I read earlier is not true.

Don't know if this information is correct or not, but I figure not much to do if it is. It's a good idea to prep for as many potential issues as you can, focusing more intently on disasters you're LIKELY to encounter in the region you live in.

Faraday cages could help with some stuff. Such a thing could bring current civilization to it's knees. We are WAY more advanced and populated than in 1879 and 1921.

we prepare for power outages and can function in a long term outage as well.

Nonsense, it's George Bush's fault.

A faraday cage is pointless. The reason being is that you would be the ONLY one who has working electronics. So, say you keep a laptop in it. The solar flair hits. Ok, now you are the only one who can connect to the internet for 50 miles around. The problem, there is no internet anymore.

There is no radio, TV or cell phones either. So realistically, at best you could protect a few walkie talkies.

The truth is that you should have all the important stuff printed on paper. After an EMP, we will become a local, agricultural people who have no use to electronics methods of data storage.

Hmmm, sorry but I disagree. If my laptop or netbook is shielded, and I have in my faraday box a couple of portable external hard drives 1TB or larger, I can have a ton of info on them, including books on agriculture, alternative energy, vehicle repair, trapping, medical related info, the list goes on, as well as entertainment. Yes I have print copies of books, but I also have electronic versions as well. Two is one, one is none.

electronics for info is good, but for contacting others, it's stupid...I've met guys who want to protect their cell phones and I say "who ya gonna call?"
I don't really care much about the electronics, it's some of my more helpful small appliances.

I believe in guarding my electronic library. I would need a huge library of books to equal what I have stored on disk.