• Question: Do you think there was too much fuss about the solar flares?

    Asked by jwhittaker to Indi, Jarv, John, Ken, Vicky on 13 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: John Prytherch

      John Prytherch answered on 12 Mar 2012:

      TV, newspapers etc often make a big fuss about things because they want to make an exciting story about it.
      For science stories like the solar flares, you can often get a better idea about what is happening by reading what scientists are saying about it. This can sometimes be hard to find, but a good place to start might be somewhere like New Scientist Magazine.

    • Photo: Jarvist Moore Frost

      Jarvist Moore Frost answered on 12 Mar 2012:

      That was a pretty impressive flare, a lot of energy got spat out at once! Certainly our sun is waking up from it’s little sleep.
      I think in this area the fact it is getting reported in the mainstream press is good. We are now a lot more reliant on satellites and delicate electronics than we were during the last maxima of the cycle (particularly GPS), and so space weather may start having an effect on people in their day to day life.

      I’d also really like to see the Aurora, where the charged particles from the sun slam into the upper layers of the atmosphere and make a beautiful like show. If it gets windy enough we’ll be able to see them from the north of England!

    • Photo: Vicky Young

      Vicky Young answered on 13 Mar 2012:

      I think John is right… There was a big fuss but this is due to the media wanting a good story that will interest lots of people. So I think it was a little hyped up but then it was also a really cool event and deserved some recognition. Also if it wasn’t on the news you might never have known about it which would be a shame.

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