End of the world

[malc-c]

Has anyone seen the film "Knowing" starring Nicolas Cage (on film 4 last night) ?

Basically he's some scientist boffin who is monitoring increasing activity in the sun. His son goes to a school where a time capsule buried 50 years earlier is raised and the pictures from the children who buried it given out to all the kids, only his son returns with a sheet full of numbers. Cage then deciphers these number as predicting every world catastrophe with three events to happen.

Bottom line is the film ends up being another Alien flick with the world ending, being engulfed by a solar flair. The end result in the film was depicted by a "wave" of fire running at a few hundred MPH evaporating everything in its path.

Would this happen like that. I mean if we were hit by one of those super flairs I would of though that it would radiate through the Earth at the speed of light... so life would be extinguished almost at once...

What do you guys think would happen... could it happen (if so would there be time to grab a towel and pop down to the pub for a few pints of beer and several packets of peanuts )

[Andy McK]

As long as there is enough time to pop a can, stand out the back, look skyward with R.E.M. playing in the background.

[nicnac]

good film.

by the way, that contraption he has on his reflector at the start of the film is nowt but a prop and not functional, good idea though

[Ian123]

I did like the film, as for the ending, we'll all find out on december 21st next year

[barkis]

I'm no solar expert, but CME's can be massive, and do pose a danger, especially to satellites, whether for communication, or otherwise. Astronauts can be badly affected too, and their lives at risk. Solar flares are a risk to future travellers to the planets, and the vehicles transporting them will need some form of shielding to protect them, and of course they will require advance warning about such outbursts.

Earths atmosphere is our main protection, but it has been known for Power Grid lines to be fried by solar flares.

I would have to guess at the liklihood of earth being engulfed by a super massive CME, as very unlikely, although not impossible. How that would be in reality would be a pure guess too, and I would have to say instantaneous extinction for those on earth directly in its path. Not a subject to dwell on:eek:.

Bruce Willis would be no help either .

The Earths end will definitely be as a result of being engulfed by an expanding sun as it grows in it's red giant phase of it's life.

The human race will have long perished before that time though,

Our planet will be a burned out cinder, meandering about in deep space, looking to join other debris in a forlorn search for company in those dark depths of nothingness.

I hope I haven't painted too bleak a picture of our future.

Ron.

[Tinker1947]

Its only a film,,,,

[adamjames101]

Funny I've stumbled on this thread, I watched this movie 4 weeks ago on a dvd I brought and immediately after watching it took up astronomy. It just got me hooked for some reason and I'm so glad it did as the more I look into everything about astronomy and stand outside with my 8x40 bins in owe at the night sky the more interesting and exciting it gets. So thank you Mr Cage!

[saturn4me]

I'm no solar expert, but CME's can be massive, and do pose a danger, especially to satellites, whether for communication, or otherwise. Astronauts can be badly affected too, and their lives at risk. Solar flares are a risk to future travellers to the planets, and the vehicles transporting them will need some form of shielding to protect them, and of course they will require advance warning about such outbursts.

Earths atmosphere is our main protection, but it has been known for Power Grid lines to be fried by solar flares.

I would have to guess at the liklihood of earth being engulfed by a super massive CME, as very unlikely, although not impossible. How that would be in reality would be a pure guess too, and I would have to say instantaneous extinction for those on earth directly in its path. Not a subject to dwell on:eek:.

Bruce Willis would be no help either .

The Earths end will definitely be as a result of being engulfed by an expanding sun as it grows in it's red giant phase of it's life.

The human race will have long perished before that time though,

Our planet will be a burned out cinder, meandering about in deep space, looking to join other debris in a forlorn search for company in those dark depths of nothingness.

I hope I haven't painted too bleak a picture of our future.

Ron.

But apart from that,the futures ok then?

[barkis]

But apart from that,the futures ok then?

The future looks very bright HehHeh!!

Much better than the picture.

Ron.

[nicnac]

Bruce Willis would be no help either .

Ron.

tiz true, chuck norris he aint

[saturn4me]

Steven Seagal will save us!

[Tim]

Hang on a minute, you say the danger is from Super Flares?

What, like these????

[saturn4me]

Sorry but i couldn't drag my eyes down to the bottom third of that photo.

I'll try again.

And again.

And again........

[MikeWilson]

The future looks very bright HehHeh!!

Much better than the picture.

Ron.

The future's ORANGE (or at least big and red...).

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