Solar Storms On The Rise - 2013 Marks Height of Danger

(Telegraph) - On 1 August, almost the entire side of the Sun that faces the Earth erupted in a blaze of activity known as a "coronal mass ejection". These storms throw up to 10 billion tons of plasma - superheated gas - off the surface of the star and hurtling into space at around a million miles an hour. It covered the 93 million mile journey from the Sun to the Earth in just three and a half days...

...The flare which caused the eruption was relatively small, described as a class C3 by astronomers. Other flares, known as X or M class, are much larger, and capable of doing damage on Earth. C-class flares rarely have much effect on Earth beyond auroras - the glowing displays towards the poles, like the Northern (and Southern) Lights...

...While no damage seems to have been done by this flare, Nasa astronomers have previously warned that a much larger solar storm could cause havoc with electrical systems on Earth. In 2013, the Sun is expected to reach a stage in its roughly 11-year cycle when large storms are more likely.

In 1859, one huge flare burned out telegraph wires across Europe and the USA. The so-called "Carrington flare", named after its discoverer, “smothered two-thirds of the Earth’s skies in a blood-red aurora a night later, and crippled all global navigation and global communication, such as it was at that time. Compasses spun uselessly and the telegraph network went down as phantom electricity surged through the wire,” according to Dr Stuart Clark, author of The Sun Kings...

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THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT:  It's not a matter of IF this happens, it's a matter of WHEN this happens.  It will happen eventually, someday, no matter what.  It is inevitable because it is the normal cycle of the sun.  It's happened perhaps thousands of times in human history, and it's certain to happen again within the next century.  The only question is when?  The latest solar cycle just began last year and will reach it's height in 2013.  While solar ejections can happen anytime during a solar cycle, it is believed the height of these cycles produce the largest and most dangerous effects.  What makes this solar cycle particularly dangerous is the especially long solar-low period we just passed through with no sunspots.  It was the longest in recorded history.  The fear of some scientists is that such an unusually long solar-low period may be the calm before the storm - a BIG storm.

Here is the good news.  These solar ejections, no matter how large, are virtually harmless to biological life on earth.  Thanks to earth's magnetic field, God has provided a shield of protection that is guaranteed to protect humans, animals and plants.  Here's the bad news, God did not include electrical grids and electronic equipment in that plan.  So when the great solar storm happens we can look forward to a disaster that will cripple the whole industrialized world and throw us back to a technology level comparable to the 1800s.  (Time to get out the old horse and buggy!)  Sadly, this transition will not go smoothly.  The industrialized world is highly dependent on technology.  The sudden loss of this, especially the electrical power grid, will be catastrophic.  Not even backup emergency generators and automobiles will last long.  Once the power grid goes, the ability to pump gasoline will disappear.  Whatever is left in your tank is all you'll have until it's gone, with no way to get more.  The food distribution system will be nonexistent.  Supermarkets will be emptied within hours.  Riots will erupts for food.  The entire industrialized world will be plunged into darkness, from which there is no escape, resulting in a massive loss of world population to violence, starvation and disease.  World war will inevitably erupt, if it hasn't already, as nations fight with what little resources they have left to gain more.  Eventually the jets and tanks will run out of fuel, leaving many soldiers to fight conventional style until all the bullets are gone.  Then they resort to old fashioned hand-to-hand combat with swords and bayonets. 

Our reliance on technology will become our final undoing. When the world emerges from this nightmare, it will be a simpler way of life, hearkening back to the 19th century.  Those that survive will have learned how to live in simplicity, without technology, and undoubtedly most people will never trust it again.  The Age of Technology will have come to a grinding halt. 

In the decades to follow the world will utilize technology again, but in a more guarded way.  Electrical grids will become a thing of the past, as power generation technology will become more localized for safety sake, in the event of another solar storm.  Most people won't need as much electricity anymore, as they will have learned to live without it.  A simple windmill or solar panel will provide enough electricity to run a refrigerator and a few power outlets.  That's all anybody will likely use it for.  Perhaps wireless communication will make a comeback eventually as well.  Who knows what becomes of the Internet.  There will be less of a need for long-distance travel, and it will be expensive anyway.  World powers will have been shaken, and the distribution of world strength will be considerably different after the solar event.  In every sense it will be a whole new world, emerging from this holocaust of unimaginable proportions.

Will this happen in 2013?  The Catholic Knight makes no predictions as there is no way I can know.  However, it is likely to happen this century, and it would seem the predictions of Catholic prophets throughout the ages have predicted just such a thing.  You can read the predictions of these Church approved prophets in Desmond Birch's book Trial, Tribulation & Triumph.

Is there any way to prepare for this event?  A lot of it depends on how dependent on technology you are.  I imagine if you're reading this, you are likely pretty dependent.  Probably the people who will do the best are the Amish, Mennonite and Plain Catholic communities.  As for the rest of us, we would probably do well getting some camping equipment and a pantry full of nonperishable foods.  This will hold us over for a week or two, which may give us some time to think about what to do next.  Beyond that, unless you plan to radically simplify your life in advance, probably the only thing left to do is pray and make good connections within your parish community.