An explosion 92 million miles away just grounded Jeff Bezos’ New Glenn rocket
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I respectfully disagree. I think NASA got very lucky that ESCAPADE didn't launch this weekend.
It is too dangerous for their sensitive instruments to be in space right now. Being sheltered in a rocket fairing here on Earth is far safer than being exposed to this storm.
Seems like Earth weather inadvertently protected the spacecraft from space weather, which I find amusing.
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That timelapse video of the ejection is crazy. To see the shockwave go around the sun really puts it all into perspective.
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And remember everyone...
The monitoring systems that gave us a 'heads up' on this... at L1: are on the list of missions at risk due to the Orange One's stupidity...
The monitoring systems that gave us a 'heads up' on this... at L1: are on the list of missions at risk due to the Orange One's stupidity...
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I was hoping to see some more images: but nope, due to the US Gov't shutdown stupidity, Nope...
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/current...-flying/dscovr-deep-space-climate-observatory
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/current...-flying/dscovr-deep-space-climate-observatory
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As I understand it, NASA is getting a very attractive price for this launch of only $20m because New Glenn has not been officially signed off as being operational. If NASA were to wait until the next transfer window, the price for New Glenn could be multiple times that amount as the rocket is no longer in testing. So you either go now for the cheaper price or you wait and pay more later.
It's not fair on NASA as it isn't their fault that New Glenn is years late. But with a looming budget crunch, what can they do?
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"Visible" being kind of relative where I live, but my telegram group posted long exposure photos (up to 4 seconds, relatively high ISO) of the sky to the north (from just north of the Mexican border on the mountains to the east of here) and it was PLAINLY visible then. Some video taken showed a red glow on the horizon, Typically wildfires can do that, but none were in the area.
So it was big.
It was a G4 level, which is one short of the highest one.
As for effects, I haven't noticed any in this area, and I've not heard anything about them other than the lights in the sky.
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In Man's infinite wisdom, we have collectively chosen to disregard the angry, giant, burning ball of plasma and radiation that we can physically see and experience, in favor of religions cast in the form of man. If I were the sun, I would be angry too.
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There is no reason to take unnecessary and easy to avoid risks. Transiting through the radiation belts during a storm like this is probably far more risky than encountering the storm in deep space. Earth's magnetic field tens to capture and concentrate high energy charged particles.
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We saw the aurora last night from near Minneapolis, MN. I have never seen one before that bright or that colorful. Reds and greens visible to the unaided eye.
I understand it was visible as far south as Florida.
I understand it was visible as far south as Florida.
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Alarmist!
It's not like we are trying to send people to the Moon and might want to delay if an event like this ever occurs which is most certainly never ever does. Not even this time. Nor when trying to send anyone to Mars. That never happens either and if it did no one would understand because magnets!
/s
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We had a good view from the horizon to straight above our heads and directly west to north east. The pic directly above looked like something out of Star Trek.
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MilanKraft
Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
Going on record that the New Glenn rocket is much cooler looking than Starship. Just sayin.
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The number in my head for distance to the sun is 93 million miles, which is of course the average. Google says the current distance is 91.997 (right at the top in a dedicated widget with extra-large type, after you scroll past the AI overview. Better than Bing and DuckDuckGo)
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I see a kp index of 6.7 in about two hours. Too bad the clouds will obscure the northern lights.
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I'm just north of LA and didn't see anything, that said it's been cloudy yesterday and today.
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I have seen some very alarmist articles how we are getting power grid destroying solar flare for 100% in next 10 years. Can Ars make an article explaining how it (hopefully) isn't that bad?
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If you want to know plenty about what's actually going on up there: https://www.spaceweather.gov/communities/space-weather-enthusiasts-dashboard
The predicted auroral coverage last night (US time zones) was:
However, that's not really what the spacecraft operators would be worried about. The fact that the proton flux near earth has been so high is a prime concern:
What does that do to satellites? Fortunately, there are some satellites like LASCO 3C observing the sun with sensitivity to charged particles like this proton storm:
If you go quick and play the animations before the current data expires, you can watch the decreasing intensity of the particle impact artifacts as the storm wanes (but hasn't finished).
Needless to say, it's an improvement that these satellites got to avoid starting their holding pattern earth orbit while sunspot 4274 was being so active toward us!
The predicted auroral coverage last night (US time zones) was:
However, that's not really what the spacecraft operators would be worried about. The fact that the proton flux near earth has been so high is a prime concern:
What does that do to satellites? Fortunately, there are some satellites like LASCO 3C observing the sun with sensitivity to charged particles like this proton storm:
If you go quick and play the animations before the current data expires, you can watch the decreasing intensity of the particle impact artifacts as the storm wanes (but hasn't finished).
Needless to say, it's an improvement that these satellites got to avoid starting their holding pattern earth orbit while sunspot 4274 was being so active toward us!
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The sound from my Airpods was breaking up every time I tried listening to them outdoors, I'm guessing it's interference from this storm. I had a lot fewer issues when listening to them indoors. I didn't know about the storm earlier so I was just swearing at the airpods and my phone for being junk.
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Something that I think most people don't exactly get (I don't blame them) is when "impacts on radio communications" is mentioned during events like this, it mainly refers to HF radio (think ham radio operators, international shortwave broadcasting, long range aircraft communications, etc.) and communications between the earth and space. Generally communications on earth such as Wi-Fi, cellular phones and FM radio aren't impacted.
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“Sun Dog ate my homework.”
Sure, blame the MCE. Happens to every CEO, and it’s Not A Big Deal.
Sure, blame the MCE. Happens to every CEO, and it’s Not A Big Deal.
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I want to do a chicken impression from Arrested Development. I just don't know which one. GOB's is probably the right one. Yeah, GOB's it is.
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Broadcast FM (100MHz) can certainly be impacted. Yesterday I was getting stations 250+ miles away, and some local stations were blocked. It's a good sign to go try disrance communication on 6m and 2m amateur frequencies.
Higher frequency services in UHF aren't really affected, as you said.
But GPS signal timing (1400MHz) is affected, because the ionosphere is expanded. Further to go through the refracting medium, at 1 foot per nanosecond, yeah location precision is affected. Farmers with GPS guided tractors are warned to wait a few days.
Curiously in recent years all the data from national ionosonde systems (vertical radar detects heights and density of layers of the ionosphere) has been declared national security information! We hams used it for real time shortwave propagation predictions. But no more. Apparently because the data can signal GPS and other GNSS system signal qualities.
Generally the national authorities do not care much about short wave (3 to 30 MHz) propagation.
...waiting for some crafty hams to start decoding the GNSS ionosphere offsets so we can get back to the infernal beeping of Morse Code and Duck Talking on SSB.
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Blue is going to try to launch today.
Window opens at 2:57pm EST
View: https://x.com/blueorigin/status/1988795793000501452
Window opens at 2:57pm EST
View: https://x.com/blueorigin/status/1988795793000501452
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