WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.320 --> 00:00:04.839 Welcome once again to the Doctor Sky experience heard exclusively 2 00:00:04.879 --> 00:00:09.480 here on Talk Radio seventy seven WABC, as we like 3 00:00:09.560 --> 00:00:11.880 to mention and call it the crown Jewel of radio, 4 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:16.559 the iconic seventy seven Talk Radio WABC, beaming out of 5 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:19.519 New York City, the nation, the world, and I'm sure 6 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:23.239 out to the cosmos. Yes you're listening to me, Steve Kates, 7 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:26.960 Doctor Sky, and proudly here on this great radio station 8 00:00:27.559 --> 00:00:31.359 we bring you interesting information on solar cycle twenty five 9 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:34.240 and the great solar storms that have been happening this 10 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:39.079 particular week. Listening to this particular update, it's current as 11 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:43.079 of May the eleventh, twenty twenty four, the current solar 12 00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:46.119 wind speed is now five hundred and sixty miles per second. 13 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:48.759 That is the stream of particles that move out and 14 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:52.520 permeate the solar system. There's a seventy five percent chance 15 00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:55.799 of more X flares on the Sun, and the massive 16 00:00:55.840 --> 00:01:00.359 Sunspot group Active Region thirty six sixty four, which now 17 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:06.040 contains forty three very active and magnetically charged sunspots, will 18 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:09.560 indeed give us some great information in the form of 19 00:01:09.719 --> 00:01:12.760 energy from the Sun as it now transitions to the 20 00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:16.120 right side of the Sun and soon to disappear to 21 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:19.719 the backside of the Sun. The sunspot number as of 22 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:22.040 this particular date is one hundred and fifty six on 23 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:24.719 the Sun. But let's talk a little bit more about 24 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:28.560 solar flares and what's been happening this week. We continue 25 00:01:28.599 --> 00:01:31.319 to update you on what happens on our star, the Sun, 26 00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:36.079 ninety three million miles away. Solar flares of sunspot cycle 27 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:40.560 twenty five are interesting. Indeed, solar cycle twenty five began 28 00:01:40.680 --> 00:01:44.480 on December of twenty nineteen, and it should peak some 29 00:01:44.599 --> 00:01:49.000 astrophysicists and astronomers believe by late twenty twenty four or 30 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:53.680 even early into twenty twenty five. These are geomagnetic stores. 31 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:56.280 But let me qualify what we talk about here on 32 00:01:56.359 --> 00:02:01.519 the ductor Sky experience and Solar cycle twenty five. Sunspots 33 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:04.959 appear in the photosphere of the Sun. That's the light area, 34 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:07.599 the bright area that you see in need those protective 35 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:11.560 solar glasses to view the Sun safely. The temperature of 36 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:15.400 that photosphere is about twelve thousand degrees fahrenheit, and these 37 00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:19.120 sunspots are actually cooler regions on the Sun. Remember, the 38 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:22.400 Sun is not solid. It's more described as gaseous, but 39 00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:25.199 it's more like a plasma. But more on that in 40 00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:29.719 future reports. Those sunspots, these cores that are darker, are 41 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:33.159 about six thousand degrees fahrenheit, and they are surrounded by 42 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:36.719 a pnumberal region which is a little bit fainter. What's 43 00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:40.199 interesting about these sunspots is they are magnetically charged, and 44 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:43.159 they are full of magnetic energy. So when some of 45 00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:47.199 these sunspots butt up against another one, their opposite polarities 46 00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:50.560 plus minus or minus plus cause what we call the 47 00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:53.840 phenomenon of solar flares. Now, if you can imagine this, 48 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:55.919 and it's hard to even be able to talk about 49 00:02:55.960 --> 00:02:59.240 because it's so out of this world, the average flare 50 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:02.560 intensity is as if you detonated, let's say a hundred 51 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:06.240 million hydrogen bombs. That energy, of course, is pushed out 52 00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:09.919 into space, and in many cases, the Sun pushes out 53 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:14.639 other material called coronal mass ejections. These are highly charged 54 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:17.919 particles protons that move out at a slower speed than 55 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:22.240 the speed of light. A solar flare literally travels from 56 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:23.840 the Sun to the Earth in about eight and a 57 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:27.319 half minutes. That's the speed of light. But these coronal 58 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:30.759 mass ejections, these particles can take upwards of fifteen to 59 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:33.919 twenty hours or more. But here's a little history of 60 00:03:33.919 --> 00:03:37.599 Solar cycle twenty five as far as X flares and 61 00:03:37.719 --> 00:03:42.759 geomagnetic storms. Remember, geomagnetic storms go from a G one 62 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:45.439 up to a G five, which we just had this 63 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:49.879 past weekend. Let's do a little history. The first geostorm 64 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:53.159 of this particular cycle happened on May twelfth of twenty 65 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:57.159 twenty one. That was a G three storm, not seen 66 00:03:57.199 --> 00:04:00.000 widely around the world, but it did interfere with lie 67 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:04.680 little bit with high frequency radio and communications. On July third, 68 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:07.599 twenty twenty one, the first of the X flares of 69 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:11.639 this solar cycle. On Halloween of twenty twenty one, another 70 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:15.280 X flare from the Sun November fourth, twenty twenty one, 71 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:19.759 our first G four solar storm. Unfortunately, at that time, 72 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:22.720 auroras were not widely visible as they were over this 73 00:04:22.839 --> 00:04:27.000 past weekend. Moving through our time capsule, January twenty ninth 74 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:30.519 of twenty twenty two, a solar storm actually wiped out 75 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:33.560 thirty eight of forty nine small little satellites like the 76 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:38.279 Little SpaceX satellites because of the intense radiation. Moving on 77 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:41.680 to January twenty twenty three, another solar storm. But it 78 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:45.879 gets more interesting. On March thirteenth, twenty twenty three, one 79 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:49.519 of the fastest coronal mass ejections of this cycle were recorded. 80 00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:53.000 We talk about a speed of twelve hundred miles per 81 00:04:53.079 --> 00:04:56.199 second as opposed to the current wind speed of five 82 00:04:56.279 --> 00:04:59.600 hundred and sixty miles per second that hit the Earth 83 00:04:59.720 --> 00:05:02.560 within its energy in a little bit less than twenty hours. 84 00:05:03.399 --> 00:05:06.360 Moving on to March the twenty third of this particular year, 85 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:09.519 as we continue to talk about these events in astronomy, 86 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:13.160 that was a G four solar storm knocked out some 87 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:17.120 power stations in the US, albeit on a minor scale. 88 00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:20.319 And then moving on to April twenty first of twenty 89 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:24.480 twenty three, another G four solar storm. Now, what's going 90 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:27.360 on with the latest on the Sun? A brand new 91 00:05:27.399 --> 00:05:31.240 CME just launched off the Sun today as we're doing 92 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:34.959 this recording on May the eleventh. On the X scale, 93 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:38.399 it was a five point eight, and that particular energy 94 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:43.360 may energize the entire G numbers, meaning those geo storm 95 00:05:43.480 --> 00:05:45.639 levels all the way up to a number five like 96 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:49.399 we had this past weekend. So in simple English, keep 97 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:52.199 your eyes peeled to the northern sky in dark conditions, 98 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:55.279 because you may get, indeed to see something, as many 99 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:58.600 people did over this previous weekend and this weekend entirely 100 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:01.240 when they saw the un auroras as far south of 101 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:06.720 Puerto Rico into Mexico and areas to the south like Florida, 102 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:10.639 and here in Arizona where I am a fascinating story 103 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:15.120 again solar and sunspot active region as we talk about 104 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:18.560 it here, This particular active region known as number three 105 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:22.639 six sixty four thirty six sixty four with forty three 106 00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:26.439 very energetic sunspots, is now moving to the lower right 107 00:06:26.519 --> 00:06:29.160 side of the Sun. So if you still have those 108 00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:32.639 solar glasses from last month's eclipse, make sure they don't 109 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:34.560 have any holes in them, and you can actually see 110 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:38.000 this sunspot on the right edge of the Sun, one 111 00:06:38.040 --> 00:06:41.839 of the most massive sunspots of all time. But in conclusion, 112 00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:45.439 let's talk about the Great Carrington event. That's an event 113 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:48.839 that was widely observed by Richard Carrington and another astronomer 114 00:06:49.240 --> 00:06:53.079 back in September of eighteen fifty nine when they observed 115 00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:56.240 a sunspot about as large as this group right now, 116 00:06:57.079 --> 00:06:59.600 and it produced one of the most massive X flares. 117 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:03.480 We don't know the exact X number. And again that 118 00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:07.920 particular solar storm and sunspot group was literally placed at 119 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:11.040 the front and center of the Sun. So we call 120 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:14.720 it the kill shot when that giant sunspot group erupts 121 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:18.519 and it sends out a CMA chronal mass ejection. Most 122 00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:22.519 damage on a very high leveled numbered X flare caused 123 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:24.839 what happened in eighteen fifty nine, what did it cause 124 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:29.199 during the Internet era, then the Victorian Internet, we use 125 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:32.920 telegram and many telegraphers were actually shocked when they were 126 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:37.120 keying out messages and many of the transmission telephone like lines, 127 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:40.560 telegraph lines literally went a fire and a blaze. Now 128 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:43.720 that's incredible. We live in a digital world. I need 129 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:46.600 not remind you. And the problematic thing now is if 130 00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:49.079 we have a similar type X flare on the Sun. 131 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:51.639 Not to be alarmist, but are we speaking truth and science, 132 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:55.160 This could very well knock down not only power grids, 133 00:07:55.560 --> 00:07:59.279 but also could destroy satellites. And right now, this is 134 00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:03.240 very interesting story. Back in March of nineteen eighty nine, 135 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:07.920 another massive X flare fifteen on the X flare scale, 136 00:08:08.600 --> 00:08:11.879 It actually hit and it hid an area in Canada 137 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:15.480 and at Quebec, and it knocked out power by disrupting 138 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:18.839 those generators to about thirty million people. And people may 139 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:21.560 wonder why, Well, the real truth of the matter is 140 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:25.079 the reason that that particular solar storm was so effective 141 00:08:25.160 --> 00:08:28.079 there is that the rock, or the surface rock of 142 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:30.959 that part of the nation and part of the world 143 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:34.919 is very hard, igneous rock. And when those solar protons 144 00:08:34.919 --> 00:08:38.200 and storms hit the earth in other areas that are softer, 145 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:41.360 they get absorbed for a good portion of their energy 146 00:08:41.399 --> 00:08:45.240 into the ground. But in this particular case, the energy 147 00:08:45.320 --> 00:08:48.279 bounced off the hard rock and shot itself back up 148 00:08:48.279 --> 00:08:53.039 to transformers and power lines, causing that great damage. To 149 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:56.080 listen to me, Doctor Sky and the Doctor Sky Experience, 150 00:08:56.440 --> 00:08:59.480 you can hear our updates with Frank Morono on the 151 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:03.120 other side of Midnight and every other Wednesday at one am. 152 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:05.879 He's kind enough to transform the name of the show 153 00:09:06.360 --> 00:09:09.840 to Cosmic Conversations with me, Doctor Sky, as we talk 154 00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:12.879 about the great realms of astronomy, space, aviation, and weather 155 00:09:13.320 --> 00:09:15.840 and privilege and honored to be with owner and operator 156 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:20.159 John Katzimatides every Sunday morning as we take our minds 157 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:22.759 off the political world and talk about the great vast 158 00:09:22.840 --> 00:09:27.519 unknown on the Cat's Roundtable, and then more and more 159 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:30.480 as these events happen. Look for me Doctor Sky with 160 00:09:30.559 --> 00:09:34.519 the Doctor Sky Experience, updates on Kats and Cosby on 161 00:09:34.600 --> 00:09:38.240 the Great five PM Show. If you'd like to email me, 162 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:42.840 that's simple. It's doctor Sky's show. Just Drsky Show at 163 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:45.919 gmail dot com. And what do we say, folks, Always 164 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:48.679 remember to keep your eyes to the skies as I 165 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:51.559 try to earn that opportunity. It's a privilege and honor 166 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:54.679 to be here on talk radio seventy seven WABC with 167 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:57.279 all the listeners. As we call it the crown Jewel 168 00:09:57.279 --> 00:10:01.399 of radio mentioned before, the iconic seven Talk Radio w 169 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:04.960 A b C beaming ourselves out from New York City, 170 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:08.759 the nation, the world, and I'm sure the cosmos. I'm 171 00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:12.679 Doctor Sky with the Doctor Sky Experience. I'm your navigator 172 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:15.240 on the highway to the heavens, a highway that has 173 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:18.960 yet no tolls, so we can expand our minds and 174 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:22.480 look deep into the cosmos on things that go bump 175 00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:25.879 in the day and bump in the night. I'm your navigator. 176 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:27.080 Thanks for joining me.