are we having a large solar flare?
373143
Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity\n26 April - 22 May 2006\n\nSolar activity is expected to be at predominately very low to low\nlevels with isolated moderate activity possible from Region 875\nthrough 06 May.\n\nNo greater than 10 MeV proton events are expected.\n\nThe greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is\nexpected to be at high levels on 07 – 18 May.
205247
probably not.  Unless the sun explodes
1185813
yes\nA huge asteroid will have a close encounter with Earth this weekend, but astronomers say there is no danger of an impact. The asteroid, known as 2004 XP14, will whiz by about 269,000 miles from the Earth, slightly farther away than the moon.
185980
Our sun will not supernova.  It will, over a very long time, expand into a relatively small red giant, which will have a diameter greater than the Earth's orbit.\n\nLong before that the Earth will have become far too hot to live on, but the process will be very, very slow -- it'll take over a billion years -- not a giant explosion.\n\nSorry to disappoint you.  I know, you sound like you were looking forward to it.  Funny how many people answering this question think otherwise.  I guess that's the irony of the internet for you.\n\nSee the link below for all the details:
626251
nuclear fusion has occured on earth - fusion bombs have been around since the 50s and controlled fusion reaction have been achieved in lots of experimental fusion power plants. the energy put in is more than the energy gotten out, so it is not a power source\n\nwhen gas is really hot, some or even all of the electrons in the atoms have enough energy to escape the attraction\nof the nucleus, so a plasma is formed that has lots of free charge flying around.\n\nthe sun is mostly plasma, there might be some unionized gas, i doubt anything could be liquid or solid
157132
A solar flare is a violent explosion in the Sun's atmosphere with an energy equivalent to tens of millions of hydrogen bombs. Solar flares take place in the solar corona and chromosphere, heating plasma to tens of millions of kelvins and accelerating the resulting electrons, protons and heavier ions to near the speed of light. They produce electromagnetic radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum at all wavelengths from long-wave radio to the shortest wavelength gamma rays. It is generally accepted that flares represent conversion of magnetic energy into kinetic energy of particles and radiation, via a process called magnetic reconnection. Most flares occur around sunspots, where intense magnetic fields emerge from the Sun's surface into the corona. The energy associated with solar flares may take several hours or even days to build up, but most flares take only a matter of minutes to release their energy.\n\nSolar flares release a cascade of high energy particles known as a proton storm. Protons can pass through the human body, doing biochemical damage. Most proton storms take two or more hours from the time of visual detection to reach Earth. A solar flare on January 20, 2005 released the highest concentration of protons ever directly measured, taking only 15 minutes after observation to reach Earth.\n\nThe number of sunspots correlates with the intensity of solar radiation.
504519
Here are quite a few articles on what we know so far:\nhttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=solar+flares+site%3Asciam.com&btnG=Google+Search\n\nThe short answer is that magnetic fluctuations create imbalances that allow sunspots to form and for flares to arc from the sun.
497956
Nope! Not unless we bomb everyone, including ourselves...but I highly doubt we'll do that. According to studies, the only way that earth will truly blow up, is when it goes through its final stages. For example, turning into a red giant. I can't remember what stages we are in at the moment...but it won't happen for a long, LONG time.
364727
Nope...The sun still has plenty of hydrogen, and the only Earth smashing asteroid that we know of is still over 800 years away. Everybody Party!!
629850
The normal huge storms on coastal areas around the world....this year.\n\nLarge earthquake.......Asia....2007\n\nSome big volcano news in Pacific Rim....2008.\n\nA scary encounter with an asteroid...near miss....2009.\n\nA major drought scattered world-wide......2010-2012.
39653
its a giant storm  like a hurricane thats been going on for a logn time bout size of earth i think
28745
yes and it is due to erupt
315973
Actually we are going for Global Warming, where all teh Ice is going to melt and probably flood alot of places, the atmosphere is gettinng thinner and more ultra violates are entering earth. P.S. did you see any Acorns? Keep looking for it...
65677
Ive seen them from just south of the Canadian border so just watch for news of solar flares & watch the night sky.
1033042
The earth IS protected from solar flares.  Unlike most other planets we have analyzed, the earth has an EMF field around it.  Its like a magnet.  Magnets have a North (positive) pole and a South (Negative) Pole.  Electro-Motive Force (EMF) is a flow of electrons from the negative pole to the positive pole.  This flow of electrons acts like a shield and deflects solar flares from reaching the earth.  Now, its not absolute!  There are actually some solar flares that do indeed reach us, but I think this is a bit much for this forum.  I hope this helps!
215465
No but it's a worry given the quality of world leadership we are enduring! You should ask Mr. Bush, Mr. Blair, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (for those that don't know he's Supreme Leader of Iran which is both religious leader and military commander in chief - a dangerous combination!) and Hú Jǐntāo (President of the People's Republic of China who threatened Mr. Bush with nuclear war if Bush tried to stop China's progress towards annexing Taiwan, or attacked North Korea). As an Economics grad I know if none of these characters spark a nuclear confrontation we should survive the next 10 years. \n\nYou are also right to say that every beginning has an end. As a science grad I believe that the world will end eventually but not in our life time as our Sun, source of most life processes will die. In 4–5 billion years, it will enter a red giant phase, its outer layers expanding as the hydrogen fuel in the core is consumed and the core contracts and heats up. Helium fusion will begin when the core temperature reaches about 3×108 K. While it is likely that the expansion of the outer layers of the Sun will reach the current position of Earth's orbit. Recent research suggests that mass lost from the Sun earlier in its red giant phase will cause the Earth's orbit to move further out, preventing it from being engulfed. Following the red giant phase, intense thermal pulsations will cause the Sun to throw off its outer layers, forming a planetary nebula. The Sun will then evolve into a white dwarf, slowly cooling over eons. At this stage the solar luminosity will be insufficient to support life on Earth.
1171929
YES.  There is a 99.9% possibility it will occur within the next hour...the heat of the day is upon us!