Category: Heavenly Signs

Solar Cycle 25 overperforms: Sunspot counts for Sept. 2021 were the highest in more than 5 years, exceeding the official forecast

Strange Sounds – October 3, 2021

Solar Cycle 25 continues to overperform. Sunspot counts for Sept. 2021 were the highest in more than 5 years.

And, for the 11th month in a row, the sunspot number has significantly exceeded the official forecast:

“The NOAA/NASA co-chaired, international panel to forecast Solar Cycle 25 released their latest forecast for Solar Cycle 25. The forecast consensus: a peak in July, 2025 (+/- 8 months), with a smoothed sunspot number (SSN) of 115. The panel agreed that Cycle 25 will be average in intensity and similar to Cycle 24.

“Additionally, the panel concurred that solar minimum between Cycles 24 and 25 will occur in April, 2020 (+/- 6 months). If the solar minimum prediction is correct, this would make Solar Cycle 24 the 7th longest on record (11.4 years).”

The plot above shows sunspot counts vs. time. The red curve traces the forecast issued by the NOAA/NASA Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel in 2019. It calls for a relatively weak solar cycle peaking in July 2025.

The sun has a mind of its own, though. Higher-than-expected sunspot counts suggest a stronger cycle, with a peak occuring in late 2024 instead of mid-2025. This is good news for aurora watchers, but maybe not so good for the Internet. [Space Weather]

https://strangesounds.org

Growing risk of once-in-a-century solar superstorm that could knock out internet, study says

– September 10, 2021

TORONTO (CTV Network) — Imagine if one day the internet was down not just in your neighborhood, but across the globe, knocked out by a threat from space: an enormous solar superstorm.

It sounds like science fiction, but a new study says it could become our reality earlier than we think if we don’t prepare properly for the next time the sun spits a wave of magnetized plasma at us.

“Astrophysicists estimate the likelihood of a solar storm of sufficient strength to cause catastrophic disruption occurring within the next decade to be 1.6 — 12 per cent,” the study states.

“Paying attention to this threat and planning defenses against it, […] is critical for the long-term resilience of the internet.”

The paper, written by University of California assistant professor Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi, is titled “Solar Superstorms: Planning for an Internet Apocalypse.”

It paints a scary picture of what could happen if an enormous solar storm hits us: submarine cables between countries shut down, power grids offline, data centres from web giants at risk of going dark.

But how do we even start protecting against it?

Solar activity isn’t easy to predict. While we know that the sun has an 11-year cycle that lets us track when solar activity will be higher, whether these high points will have harmless solar flares or large-scale solar weather events isn’t easy to pinpoint.

The sun also has a longer cycle that takes approximately 80-100 years called the Gleissberg cycle, in which large-scale solar events during solar maxima (the high point of the 11-year-cycle) become four times more likely to occur.

The two most recent solar cycles, from 1996-2008 and 2008-2020, were part of a minimum activity period during the Gleissberg cycle.

“In other words, modern technological advancement coincided with a period of weak solar activity and the sun is expected to become more active in the near future,” the study stated.

https://ktvz.com

Bigger Than Burj Khalifa: ‘Potentially Hazardous’ Asteroid to Pass by Earth on Saturday

Sputnik News – August 20, 2021

NASA is keeping a close eye on 1,000 space rocks that are “potentially hazardous” to our planet.

The asteroid known as “2016 AJ193,” classified as “potentially hazardous” by NASA, will whizz past Earth on Saturday, 21 August. The 1.4 km-wide space rock – which is traveling at 94,208 km per hour – will pass within 3,427,445 km of Earth.

The asteroid will approach our planet at 11:10 am ET (8:40 pm IST and 3:10 pm GMT).

NASA will observe the asteroid from 20 to 24 August using radar. It’s 1.5 times the size of the Burj Khalifa, more than three times the size of the Empire State Building, and over 4.5 times the size of the Eiffel Tower – it was spotted in January 2016 by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) facility, which is part of Hawaii’s Haleakala Observatory.

Every 5.9 years, it orbits the Sun – as it travels towards Earth’s orbit it shoots off in Jupiter’s direction. This visit will be 2016 AJ193’s closest approach to Earth for at least for the next 65 years.

NASA is currently tracking over 26,000 near-Earth asteroids, while over 1,000 are considered potentially hazardous.

https://sputniknews.com

Solar storms are back, threatening life on Earth as we know it

The Associated Press – May 23, 2021

A few days ago, millions of tons of super-heated gas shot off from the surface of the sun and hurtled 90 million miles toward Earth.

The eruption, called a coronal mass ejection, wasn’t particularly powerful on the space-weather scale, but when it hit the Earth’s magnetic field it triggered the strongest geomagnetic storm seen for years. There wasn’t much disruption this time — few people probably even knew it happened — but it served as a reminder the sun has woken from a yearslong slumber.

While invisible and harmless to anyone on the Earth’s surface, the geomagnetic waves unleashed by solar storms can cripple power grids, jam radio communications, bathe airline crews in dangerous levels of radiation and knock critical satellites off kilter. The sun began a new 11-year cycle last year and as it reaches its peak in 2025 the specter of powerful space weather creating havoc for humans grows, threatening chaos in a world that has become ever more reliant on technology since the last big storms hit 17 years ago. A recent study suggested hardening the grid could lead to $27 billion worth of benefits to the U.S. power industry.

“It is still remarkable to me the number of people, companies, who think space weather is Hollywood fiction,” said Caitlin Durkovich, a special assistant to President Joe Biden and senior director of resilience and response in the National Security Council, during a talk at a solar-weather conference last month.

The danger isn’t hypothetical. In 2017, a solar storm caused ham radios to turn to static just as the Category 5 Hurricane Irma was ripping through the Caribbean. In 2015, solar storms knocked out global positioning systems in the U.S. Northeast, a particular concern as self-driving cars become a reality. Airline pilots are at greater risk of developing cataracts when solar storms hit. Female crew see higher rates of miscarriages.

In March 1989, a solar storm over Quebec caused a province-wide outage that lasted nine hours, according to Hydro-Quebec’s website. A 2017 paper in the journal of the American Geophysical Union predicted blackouts caused by severe space weather could strike as much as 66% of the U.S. population, with economic losses reaching a potential $41.5 billion a day.

https://www.pennlive.com

3 major reasons why the Super Blood Moon Eclipse on May 26 will be a very big deal

Strange Sounds – May 12, 2021

It’s almost time for another “Blood Moon” eclipse in North America—the first for over two years! “Blood Moon 2021,” a total lunar eclipse, will occur in the early hours of May 26, 2021 and be visible to some—but not all—of North America.

A total lunar eclipse, during which observers see a red Moon, can only occur at full Moon. The full Moon in May 2021 is called the “Flower Moon,” simply for the time of year it occurs in the northern hemisphere.

So why is the event being trailed as the “Super Flower Blood Moon 2021?”

Here are three things you need to know about 2021’s only total lunar eclipse.

1. It’s a ‘supermoon,’ the biggest and brightest full Moon of 2021

The “Super Flower Blood Moon 2021” is a “supermoon.”

It will be about 7% bigger than an average full Moon, but that’s not something you’re going to notice. What you will probably notice is that it will be about 15% brighter—the brightest, in fact, of 2021. That’s because it’s the closest full Moon to Earth of 2021.

The entire world can enjoy this special sight of a “supermoon.” All you have to do is look to the east around dusk to see a fabulous full moonrise.

2. It’s a ‘Blood Moon,’ 2021’s only total lunar eclipse

From 11:11-11:25 UTC the full Moon will turn a reddish color. You can find out if you can see it from where you are using this eclipse map.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when a full Moon enters Earth’s shadow in space. Of course, Earth is always casting a shadow into outer space opposite the Sun. It extends to around 870,000 miles/1.4 million km.

The Moon’s orbital path around Earth is roughly 5% inclined to the path of the Sun through our sky, so it rarely causes an eclipse of the Sun. So too lunar eclipses.

3. You’ve got a 50% chance of seeing it from where you are in North America

The entire night-side of Earth will witness the full Moon turn a reddish color during a brief 15-minute totality on May 26, 2021, but in many parts of the U.S the Moon will set just as the eclipse gets going.

https://strangesounds.org

Some see coming ‘Super Blood Moon’ followed by a ‘Ring of Fire’ as sign of the End Times

Ricky Scaparo – April 26, 2021

(OPINION) ETH – A new lunar eclipse or “blood moon” will soon be visible on May 26, 2021, and be partially visible from eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and much of the Americas.This particular event is being called a “Super Blood Moon” and will be the first total eclipse since January 2019.  According to Forbes.com, this “supermoon” full Moon will move into Earth’s dark central umbral shadow where it will appear as a “Blood Moon” for 15 minutes, briefly turning the lunar surface a reddish-copper color.

According to CBN News, less than a month following this Super Blood Moon, the world will then see a ‘Ring Of Fire’ solar eclipse that will be seen on June 10, 2021. This event will be seen by most of the northeastern U.S. and Canada who will see a huge partial solar eclipse before breakfast on June 10th, and some areas will even see an impressive “ring of fire” annular solar eclipse that will last 3 minutes and 33 seconds.

This ring of fire will only be visible in areas like northern Ontario, Canada, and Russia. Many in the Body of Christ see such events having significance and believe they hold prophetic implications because they’re are directly mentioned in scripture.

One example is a Blood Moon mentioned in the Bible in the book of Joel 2:31 which states: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.” Also in Acts 2:20, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come.”

And, in the book of Revelations 6:12, a blood moon also is prophesied: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.” These passages refer to the moon turning to blood as a heavenly sign of the time of the end.

Some End Time preachers claim the numerous Blood Moon eclipses in recent years are one of many signs that the end of the world is drawing closer and could happen in the near future. Those who teach eschatology point to other historic events like the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948, the return of millions of Jews to the Holy Land, and potential precursors to the biblical mark of the beast as further signs of the End Times.

https://endtimeheadlines.org

An asteroid the size of the Golden Gate Bridge to make “very close encounter” with Earth on first full day of spring

Sophie Lewis – March 12, 2021

An asteroid similar in size to the Golden Gate Bridge will whip past Earth later this month — the largest and fastest asteroid to pass close to our planet this year.

But don’t worry, it won’t get too close.

The asteroid, officially known by NASA as 231937 (2001 FO32), is about 1,300 to 2,230 feet wide, according to observations made by the NEOWISE team, putting it at the smaller end of the scale. It has an orbit period of 810 days.

The asteroid is smaller than the last notable one to make a close approach to Earth, but it will be three times closer, NASA said in a statement Thursday.

2001 FO32 is set to come within 1.25 million miles of Earth at 11:02 a.m. ET on March 21, just one day after the spring equinox. That’s close enough for NASA to classify it as “potentially hazardous” in its database of near-Earth asteroids, a designation given when they come within about 4.65 million miles of Earth, and are larger than 500 feet in diameter.

It will zoom past at almost 77,000 miles per hour, or 21 miles per second — peaking scientists’ interests as one of the fastest space rocks known to fly past Earth. The asteroid is “unusually speedy” due to its highly inclined and elongated orbit around the sun, which takes it closer to the sun than Mercury and twice as far from the sun as Mars.

https://www.cbsnews.com

Apophis asteroid will be visible from Earth this weekend

–

ST. LOUIS – An asteroid the size of three football fields will pass by a star and be visible from Earth on Sunday, February 21. But have no fear, there is no danger of it hitting our planet.

“The more that we can understand the orbits of asteroids like Apophis the better we can prepare,” said Will Snyder, Manager at the St. Louis Science Center McDonnell Planetarium.

According to experts, the 1,000-foot wide asteroid will sweep across the United States around 11:50 p.m. But in order to see this rare event, you have to be located exactly along its path. You can find that path here.

“At home scientists and citizen astronomers will have the opportunity to observe this near-Earth asteroid from their telescope,” said Snyder.

Apophis was first discovered in 2004 and scientists say it’s expected to pass earth and visible to the naked eye with upcoming flybys in 2029, 2036, and 2068.

For more information or a fascinating look at asteroids catch the IMAX® original film Asteroid Hunters at the St. Louis Center showing this month.

https://fox2now.com

Rocky start: 2021 will begin with unwelcome, 220-meter wide asteroid visitor, NASA warns

RT – January 1, 2021

As nations across the globe say ‘good riddance’ to 2020, NASA has warned that a monstrous 220-meter asteroid is headed Earth’s way early in the new year.

Before that, this year’s final asteroid, 2020 YB4, measuring just 36 meters in diameter or roughly half the wingspan of a 747, passed by the Earth shortly after 6am UTC at a distance of 6.1 million kilometers. That means, in terms of the threat posed by space rocks at least, the planet made it out of 2020 somewhat intact.

However, in the first days of January, three additional, small Near Earth Objects (NEOs) will grace the Earth with their presence, for a brief time.

Just two days into 2021, the 15-meter asteroid 2019 YB4 will fly by at a safe distance of 6.4 million kilometers. The very next day, it will be followed up by two more chunks of cosmic debris in the form of the 15-meter 2020 YA1 and the 21-meter 2020 YP4, which will pass by at 1.5 and 2.1 million kilometers respectively.

But the biggie will come on January 3, as the relatively mountainous 2003 AF23, measuring an impressive 220m in diameter or about as wide as the Golden Gate Bridge is tall, will shoot past at 6.9 million kilometers.

https://www.rt.com

Solar cycle 25: the Sun wakes up

Space Daily – October 30, 2020

The Sun has entered its 25th solar cycle and is about to wake up. For the last few years our star has been pretty sleepy, with few sunspots, bright flares or massive ejections of magnetized plasma emanating from its surface. This quiet period is known as the solar minimum, but things are starting to heat up again.

Experts on the Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel recently announced that the Sun has officially entered a new cycle, its 25th since we’ve had enough data to reliably recognize them. While we can expect space weather to get more exciting in the next few years, with peak sunspot activity expected in 2025, the panel came to the consensus that this next cycle will be very similar to the previous, both generally weaker than the average solar cycle.

“While small and medium-sized solar storms are more likely during peak solar activity,” explains Juha-Pekka Luntama, Head of ESA’s Space Weather Office, “it is important to remember that individual large solar events, huge flares and coronal mass ejections, can happen at any point, independent of where we are in the solar cycle or how strong the cycle becomes.”

If such solar storms impact Earth, they can create geomagnetic storms in our magnetosphere. While good news for aurora hunters, these storms can disrupt and even damage power grids on Earth and satellites in orbit, and the vital services they provide.

https://www.spacedaily.com