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Solar flares could grind Earth to a halt in 2013
21st September 2010
NASA has warned that an increase in radiation levels emanating from the sun could wreak havoc on power grids and communication systems in 2013.
At the moment the sun is in a quiet phase of activity but this is predicted to change in three years time when there will be unprecedented levels of magnetic energy and hugely powerful solar flares.
These flares could produce massive magnetic storms on Earth, resulting in black outs that could last for days or even weeks.
A similar event happened in 1859 which burnt out telegraph wires in the US and Europe. The auroras produced by the flares turned two-thirds of the Earth’s sky red.
Of course in 1859 the use of electricity was in its infancy, in the 21st century the problems caused by such an event would be far more serious.
NASA currently has several spacecraft in orbit around Earth which are studying the threat of increased solar activity, and could possibly give early warning of such an event.
Precautions could then be implemented to minimize damage such as temporarily shutting down power grids and communication satellites.
At a conference held yesterday in London the British Defence Secretary spoke about the vulnerability of modern society’s dependence on technology.
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Kepler Mission discovers distant planetary system
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NASA’s space observatory has discovered two planets orbiting the same star, 2,000 light years away in the Lyra constellation. The star which has now been named Kepler-9 is believed to be much like our own sun.
Details of the discoveries were announced after a seven month detailed study of more than 156,000 stars. The planets named Kepler-9b and 9c were detected using Kepler’s ultra precise camera, measuring tiny decreases in the star’s brightness when a planet moves across them.
It is believed both planets have masses similar to but less than the mass of Saturn. Kepler-9b is closest to the star, making a complete orbit every 19 days, while Kepler-9c has an orbit of around 38 days.
Kepler scientists believe there is third planet in the system which has a radius 50% larger than the Earth. If this planet existed it would be baking hot, making a an orbit of its star in only 1.6 days.
Kepler Mission scientist Matthew Holman said, "This discovery is the first clear detection of significant changes in the intervals from one planetary transit to the next, what we call transit timing variations."
NASA’s Kepler Mission which began in March, 2009, was designed to discover Earth like planets orbiting distant stars using an observatory in solar orbit. So far the mission has discovered seven exoplanets all of which orbit extremely close to their stars. The mission is expected to continue until at least September 2012.