by Greg Colfaz (NWM Staff Writer)
Hey from Cottonwood, Idaho. A couple days ago I rented The Knowing at the local K&R Video, off Main St. It was either that or Johnny Pnuemonic. Slim pickings that night in the scifi section. All-in-all it was the usual Nick Cage-type action. At times it seemed a little too out there, but I sorta expected that going in. What did freak me out is part of the plot [spoiler alert ahead] dealt with a giant solar flare burning up the earth. At first I thought I was one of those Bruckheimer / Lucas “end of the world,” made-up scenarios. However, after further research at the local library (my computer sucks @ss) I found the following:
A solar flare is a giant explosion in the Sun's atmosphere that can release as much as 6 × 1025 joules of energy.
Supposedly the sun tends to flare up once or twice a decade sending stellar junk to the earth’s upper atmosphere. At the very most it can disrupt power grids and send communication satellites into a tizzy. At the very least, it’s a "pg. 6" mention in the local paper. Still not satisfied I did some more google-ing. I found out that scientists, the ancient Mayans and The Bible are predicting a big Solar Flare on December 21st, 2012. That’s when the sun will be at the peak of its 11year cycle. Patrick Geryl (doomsday scenario author) is saying this solar event will be the catalyst for major disasters. We’re talking earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions (the whole 9 yards). You can read all about his prediction on his website, How to survive 2012. Aside from Mr. Geryl, I’ve found most scientists to have somewhat a less grim opinion about the event. Personally, I just want some NASA brain to come out and set the record straight once and for all. If it’s bad, then at the very least I know I can finally ignore my Visa payments.
No comments:
Post a Comment