How is Sunspot 927 Affecting Your Life Today?

As fascinated as I am by the goings-on here at Gather, I am able to put it all in perspective. It matters in some small degree whether or not we are going to survive on Gather as a viable place to meet and share opinions, but to my mind, there are greater things going on that are much bigger than Gather.com.

For instance, did you know that much larger forces are affecting our planet that eclipse even our pitiful human activities? If you live in Wisconsin, you might have some idea.

What's Up in Space -- 30 Nov 2006

WISCONSIN AURORAS: Last night, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) tilted south, opening a crack in Earth's magnetosphere. Solar wind poured in, fueling a display of green auroras seen as far south as Wisconsin: gallery.

Early this morning a moderate geomagnetic storm was initiated most likely from sunspot region 927. This occurs when ‘charged particles' in the way of solar flares, CME's (coronal mass ejection) and or coronal hole charge hits the Earth's magnetic field. When this occurs, extreme weather is likely to unfold. Also watch for increased earthquake and volcanic activity.
Nov 30, 2006, 06:51

And how does all this affect you?  As the paragraph above states, there is the possibility of increased earth activity, but it can also affect things that you take for granted in your everyday life like radio and TV transmissions, cell phone communication, or navigational tool like OnStar.

Earth-Space Activities

... disrupted by solar and geomagnetic events

•·         Satellite operations

•·         Navigation

•·         Space Shuttle and Space Station activities

•·         High-altitude polar flights

•·         Electric power distribution

•·         Long-line telephone communication

•·         HF radio communication

•·         Pipeline operations

•·         Geophysical exploration  

We are sitting next to a big magnet, but we never think of it in those terms. We see the sun as something to give us a glorious golden tan, or that big glowing thing in the sky that helps us grow our crops. There is always a trade-off though. The benevolent sun that helps power our planet can be not so benevolent if you look at how it has affected us in the past:

"When magnetic fields move about in the vicinity of a conductor such as a wire, an electric current is induced into the conductor. This happens on a grand scale during geomagnetic storms. Power companies transmit alternating current to their customers via long transmission lines. The nearly direct currents induced in these lines from geomagnetic storms are harmful to electrical transmission equipment. On March 13, 1989, in Montreal, Quebec, 6 million people were without commercial electric power for 9 hours as a result of a huge geomagnetic storm. Some areas in the northeastern U.S. and in Sweden also lost power. By receiving geomagnetic storm alerts and warnings, power companies can minimize damage and power outages."

© Carol W. -webduck