1
00:00:09,030 --> 00:00:05,349
here comes solar maxima

2
00:00:11,749 --> 00:00:09,040
presented by science at nasa

3
00:00:13,910 --> 00:00:11,759
only 93 million miles from earth a

4
00:00:14,950 --> 00:00:13,920
certain g-type star is beginning to act

5
00:00:17,189 --> 00:00:14,960
up

6
00:00:18,870 --> 00:00:17,199
every 11 years or so the solar cycle

7
00:00:20,230 --> 00:00:18,880
brings a period of revved up solar

8
00:00:23,429 --> 00:00:20,240
activity

9
00:00:24,950 --> 00:00:23,439
giant islands of magnetism sunspots

10
00:00:26,710 --> 00:00:24,960
break through the stellar surface in

11
00:00:28,630 --> 00:00:26,720
increasing numbers

12
00:00:31,029 --> 00:00:28,640
sometimes they erupt like a billion

13
00:00:32,950 --> 00:00:31,039
atomic bombs going off at once producing

14
00:00:35,030 --> 00:00:32,960
intense flares of x-rays and uv

15
00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:35,040
radiation and hurling massive clouds of

16
00:00:39,590 --> 00:00:36,880
plasma toward earth

17
00:00:41,590 --> 00:00:39,600
this is happening right now

18
00:00:44,709 --> 00:00:41,600
only a few years ago the sun was in a

19
00:00:46,470 --> 00:00:44,719
state of deep quiet but as 2012 unfolds

20
00:00:48,389 --> 00:00:46,480
the pendulum is swinging

21
00:00:50,470 --> 00:00:48,399
strong flares are becoming commonplace

22
00:00:51,990 --> 00:00:50,480
as sunspots once again pepper the solar

23
00:00:54,069 --> 00:00:52,000
disk

24
00:00:56,069 --> 00:00:54,079
forecasters expect the cycle to peak in

25
00:00:58,389 --> 00:00:56,079
mid to late 2013.

26
00:01:01,430 --> 00:00:58,399
fortunately earth is defended from solar

27
00:01:03,750 --> 00:01:01,440
storms by a strong global magnetic field

28
00:01:05,590 --> 00:01:03,760
researchers call it the magnetosphere a

29
00:01:07,350 --> 00:01:05,600
bubble of magnetism that springs from

30
00:01:10,469 --> 00:01:07,360
the planet's core and extends at least

31
00:01:12,870 --> 00:01:10,479
80 000 kilometers in all directions

32
00:01:14,390 --> 00:01:12,880
in march 2012 those magnetic defenses

33
00:01:16,149 --> 00:01:14,400
were tested

34
00:01:18,149 --> 00:01:16,159
at the very beginning of the month a

35
00:01:19,670 --> 00:01:18,159
remarkable sunspot appeared on the sun's

36
00:01:22,950 --> 00:01:19,680
eastern limb

37
00:01:24,870 --> 00:01:22,960
ar 1429 as experts called it was an

38
00:01:26,789 --> 00:01:24,880
angry looking region almost as wide as

39
00:01:28,789 --> 00:01:26,799
the planet jupiter

40
00:01:30,230 --> 00:01:28,799
almost as soon as it appeared it began

41
00:01:32,230 --> 00:01:30,240
to erupt

42
00:01:35,030 --> 00:01:32,240
during the period of march 2nd to march

43
00:01:37,590 --> 00:01:35,040
15th it rotated across the solar disk

44
00:01:39,590 --> 00:01:37,600
and fired off more than 50 flares

45
00:01:41,429 --> 00:01:39,600
three were x-class flares the most

46
00:01:43,190 --> 00:01:41,439
powerful kind

47
00:01:45,109 --> 00:01:43,200
as the eruptions continued earth's

48
00:01:47,910 --> 00:01:45,119
magnetosphere was buffeted by coronal

49
00:01:49,910 --> 00:01:47,920
mass ejections or cmes

50
00:01:51,990 --> 00:01:49,920
one of those clouds hit so hard the

51
00:01:53,830 --> 00:01:52,000
magnetosphere was sharply compressed

52
00:01:55,510 --> 00:01:53,840
leaving geosynchronous satellites on the

53
00:01:57,749 --> 00:01:55,520
outside looking in

54
00:02:00,310 --> 00:01:57,759
for a while the spacecraft were directly

55
00:02:01,910 --> 00:02:00,320
exposed to solar wind plasma

56
00:02:04,149 --> 00:02:01,920
charged particles propelled by the

57
00:02:06,230 --> 00:02:04,159
blasts swirled around earth producing

58
00:02:06,830 --> 00:02:06,240
the strongest radiation storm in almost

59
00:02:48,949 --> 00:02:06,840
a

60
00:02:50,949 --> 00:02:48,959
world

61
00:02:53,030 --> 00:02:50,959
these concerns are prompted in part by

62
00:02:55,509 --> 00:02:53,040
stories about the ancient mayan calendar

63
00:02:56,710 --> 00:02:55,519
which supposedly ends on december 21st

64
00:02:58,390 --> 00:02:56,720
2012

65
00:03:00,710 --> 00:02:58,400
in fact the mayan calendar doesn't

66
00:03:03,509 --> 00:03:00,720
really end in 2012 but that's another

67
00:03:05,750 --> 00:03:03,519
story the key point is solar flares

68
00:03:07,670 --> 00:03:05,760
cannot destroy the earth

69
00:03:10,869 --> 00:03:07,680
our planet has been orbiting the sun for

70
00:03:13,190 --> 00:03:10,879
about 4.5 billion years weathering solar

71
00:03:15,110 --> 00:03:13,200
storms that entire time

72
00:03:17,110 --> 00:03:15,120
anyone older than the age of 11 has

73
00:03:18,949 --> 00:03:17,120
lived through at least one solar maximum

74
00:03:20,309 --> 00:03:18,959
and most retirees have lived through

75
00:03:22,390 --> 00:03:20,319
five or six

76
00:03:24,710 --> 00:03:22,400
as powerful as solar flares are our

77
00:03:27,190 --> 00:03:24,720
planet's defenses are equal to them

78
00:03:29,110 --> 00:03:27,200
solar max is coming in 2013.

79
00:03:31,190 --> 00:03:29,120
enjoy the show

80
00:03:32,789 --> 00:03:31,200
for more news about solar activity and