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The Sun demonstrates the potential to superflare, new research into stellar flaring suggests.
Led by the University of Warwick, the research has found a stellar superflare on a star observed by NASA's Kepler space telescope with wave patterns similar to those that have been observed in solar flares.
Superflares are thousands of times more powerful than those ever recorded on the Sun, and are frequently observed on some stars.
Found in the Milky Way, the binary star, KIC9655129, is known to superflare. The researchers suggest due to the similarities between the superflare on KIC9655129 and the Sun's solar flares, the underlying physics of the flares might be the same, supporting the idea that our Sun could also produce a superflare.
Typical solar flares can have energies equivalent to a 100 million megaton bombs, but a superflare on the Sun could release energy equivalent to a billion megaton bombs.
If the Sun were to superflare the Earth's communications and energy systems could be at serious risk of failing.
"Our solar system is filled with plasma, or ionized gas, originating from the Sun as a result of the solar wind and other more violent solar eruptions, such as solar flares,” said lead researcher Chloë Pugh from the University of Warwick's Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics. “Stars very similar to the Sun have been observed to produce enormous flares, called superflares. To give us a better indication of whether the Sun could produce a catastrophic superflare, we need to determine whether the same physical processes are responsible for both stellar superflares and solar flares.”
Solar flares are commonly observed to consist of a series of regularly occurring pulses. Often these pulsations resemble waves, with a wavelength that relates to various properties of the region of the Sun that is producing the flare.
The study of waves such as these is referred to as coronal seismology. Occasionally solar flares contain multiple waves superimposed on top of one another, which can easily be explained by coronal seismology.
“We have found evidence for multiple waves, or multiple periodicities, in a stellar superflare, and the properties of these waves are consistent with those that occur in solar flares,” Pugh said.
Discussing the potential consequences of the Sun superflaring, Pugh said, "If the Sun were to produce a superflare it would be disastrous for life on Earth; our GPS and radio communication systems could be severely disrupted and there could be large scale power blackouts as a result of strong electrical currents being induced in power grids. Fortunately the conditions needed for a superflare are extremely unlikely to occur on the Sun, based on previous observations of solar activity."
The researchers used time series analysis to detect wave patterns in the light curve of a flare emanating from KIC9655129, using data collected by the Kepler space telescope.
"When a flare occurs we typically see a rapid increase in intensity followed by a gradual decline,” said research co-author Dr Anne-Marie Broomhall from the University of Warwick. “Usually the decline phase is relatively smooth but occasionally there are noticeable bumps, which are termed 'quasi-periodic pulsations' or QPPs. We used techniques called wavelet analysis and Monte Carlo modeling in order to assess the periodicity and statistical significance of these QPPs."
The researcher's analysis revealed not one but two significant periodicities, with less than a 1% probability that these pulsations would be observed by chance.
"We then fitted a model to the flare light curve that described both the exponential decay phase and the two periodicities. The periods were found to be 78 minutes and 32 minutes respectively. The properties of the periodicities, such as their decay times, imply that the two periodicities are independent,” said Dr. Broomhall.
"The most plausible explanation for the presence of two independent periodicities is that the QPPs were caused by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) oscillations, which are frequently observed in solar flares,” Broomhall said. “This result is, therefore, an indication that the same physical processes are involved in both solar flares and stellar superflares. The latter finding supports the hypothesis that the Sun is able to produce a potentially devastating superflare.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County received more rain than anticipated during a Thursday storm, with forecasters predicting chances for more showers into the middle of next week.
The National Weather Service reported 24-hour rainfall totals ending just before 4:45 p.m. on Thursday that showed some parts of Lake County had well over an inch of rain in that time frame.
Those rainfall totals the National Weather Service reported are as follows, in inches:
– Whispering Pines: 1.24.
– Boggs Mountain: 1.18.
– South Lakeport: 0.78.
– Southwest of the Gravelly Valley Airport: 0.78.
– High Glade Lookout: 0.76.
– Five miles west northwest of Hough Springs: 0.74.
– Two miles east northeast of Hidden Valley Lake: 0.74.
– Nine miles north northeast of Witter Springs: 0.65.
– Two miles west southwest of Kelseyville: 0.55.
– Mt. Konocti: 0.54.
– Cow Mountain Ridge: 0.51.
– Eight miles east northeast of Hidden Valley Lake: 0.51.
– Three miles south of Indian Valley Reservoir: 0.34.
– One mile south southeast of Wilbur Springs: 0.27.
Rain continued overnight on Thursday and into early Friday morning.
During the day on Friday, there are chances of rain ranging as high as 30 percent in parts of the county, with conditions expected to clear at night, continuing into Saturday night, when up to a 60-percent chance of rain is forecast.
On Sunday, chance of rain are at 80 percent during the day, tapering off to the 20-percent range that night, according to the specific Lake County forecast.
From Monday through Thursday, the National Weather Service is predicting chances of rain across the county.
Temperatures over the next week are expected to range from the low 30s at night to the low 60s during the day, forecasters said, with some light winds.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more assistance for Valley fire survivors over the last few weeks.
The agency began registering thousands of Valley fire survivors in late September, shortly after President Barack Obama issued a presidential major disaster declaration which made federal aid available, as Lake County News has reported.
At last count, more than 2,500 Valley fire survivors had registered for assistance, according to FEMA spokesman Steve Solomon.
The deadline to register for FEMA assistance was Nov. 23, but officials said claims processing continued past that date.
So far, approximately $3,365,922 has been approved for Valley fire survivor housing, and $2,951,031 for other needs – including medical/dental, transportation, furniture, etc. – according to Solomon.
Solomon said six private sites have been assessed for the feasibility of placing on them FEMA's manufactured housing units, which are fully furnished – down to the silverware.
He said that, as of Thursday, four of those units are now installed and occupied in Lake County.
Community members who have pending claims are urged to continue to stay in contact with the agency.
To reach FEMA, visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov or www.fema.gov ; dial the FEMA Helpline 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585; or for those who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services, call 800-621-3362.
The toll-free numbers are operated from 6 a.m. to midnight daily. Multilingual phone operators are available on the FEMA helpline. Choose Option 2 for Spanish and Option 3 for other languages.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Rotary Club of Clear Lake will hold its 23rd annual Community Christmas Dinner and Celebration on Saturday, Dec. 12.
The dinner will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Burns Valley School multipurpose room, 3620 Pine St. in Clearlake.
The story of how the event began goes like this: In 1992 one of the group's members, Dave Stoneberg, said, “Let’s do something for the community. Let’s serve Christmas dinner to all who want to attend. Let’s have it be no charge and let’s have Santa there to talk with the children.” And so it was.
The first year about 100 people attended. Santa had time to take a dinner break.
Fast forward 23 years to Dec. 12, when crowds of 900 to 1,000 community members are expected to enjoy a dinner prepared and served by Clear Lake Rotarians, and their family and friends.
Parents stand in line to accompany their children for a visit to share their Christmas wishes with Santa. They receive a photo and a toy from Santa’s elves; the elf corp includes local high school students from Carlé Continuation High School and Lower Lake High School.
Between 500 and 600 children per year pass through this line, faces light up, and smiles abound.
Dinner includes ham, scalloped potatoes, yams, vegetables and rolls. For dessert, pumpkin pie and chocolate chip cookies are served. Yes, you can go back for seconds – but that rarely happens because plates are filled to the brim the first time around.
Take home meals are available for a family member who cannot attend. Meals On Wheels delivers the warm meal to the seniors on their list.
There’s no charge; the dinner is the club's gift to the community.
The Warm for the Winter program continues this year as part of the event.
This is a free giveaway of new and gently used coats, warm clothing, sleeping bags and blankets held outside the building and available to all. Boy Scout Troop 44 will be on hand to assist. If you wish to contribute items, contact Joyce Overton at 707-350-2898.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – An epidemic is consuming the country, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Prescription medication overdoses kill more Americans than motor vehicle crashes. Of the 41,000 fatal drug overdoses in 2012, more than half involved prescription drugs. In California, deaths involving prescription overdoses have increased 16.5 percent since 2006.
According to the California Department of Public Health, or CDPH, opioids like hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine are increasingly prescribed for long-term pain; illegal sales of opioid pain relievers have increased 400 percent since 2005.
Lake County has the second highest pharmaceutical opioid-related death rate in California and ranks 11th in nonfatal emergency department visits related to all opioids, according to data provided by Brandeis PDMP Center of Excellence.
Sutter Lakeside Hospital has partnered with the Lake County Safe Opioid Workgroup to address the problem of prescription opiate abuse.
The work group, which is comprised of multiple local agencies, area physicians and care providers, is focused on reducing the rate of opioid addiction and fatal overdoses.
It is one of 12 programs in the state of California to receive a grant from the California HealthCare Foundation to help accelerate work to address the misuse of prescription pain killers.
“I see the struggle patients go through to manage pain,” said Nicole Lamm, RN, Emergency Department Nurse Manager for Sutter Lakeside Hospital, who is part of the work group. “To be good stewards, it’s our responsibility to offer alternative methods of pain management. Patients often don’t realize how dangerously addictive opioids can be.”
Educating the public on responsible opioid use is an important step to reducing abuse, according to Lamm.
“It’s important to work together with all of the services offered in Lake County. We strive to consider our patients as a whole to connect him or her to the right services, instead of just focusing on pain. It’s my hope that this work group will accomplish a shared mental model about how to treat patients.”
While prescription opioids can be effective in relieving pain for the short term, following up with a primary care provider is essential to treating chronic pain, according to Lamm.
“Opiates are not indicated for long term use, which can change brain chemistry,” said Leeann Hadgis, RN, Director of Ambulatory Clinics at Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “Starting March 15, our clinics will not be prescribing opiates to treat chronic pain. Rather, we offer alternate therapies like osteopathic manipulation, joint injections, and referrals to physical therapy, chiropractors and pain management specialists, if appropriate. We can refer patients to specialists to find the root cause of pain, rather than use opiates to mask the real problem.”
“We want to change the culture of how prescription opiates are treated,” said Sara Haworth, RN, Manager of Ambulatory Clinics at Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “We want to offer the safest care for our patients.”
“While opioids may have their place in medicine, it’s much safer to use other medications for long term pain management,” said Mike Mietz, physician’s assistant at Sutter Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic. “The pain scale is different for everyone, so it can be difficult to assess what a patient’s needs really are. The longer a patient is on opioid medication, the more likely he or she is to get addicted; opioid dependency can also have an emotional component. Patients may feel anxious when told they’ll be tapered off of their medication.”
“We’re tapering patients off of narcotics over a reasonable period of time,” said Henry Knoop IV, physician’s assistant at Sutter Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic. “We’re introducing other non-narcotic medications to ease the transition and manage any symptoms of withdrawal. We’ve heard feedback from patients that they have more energy and feel like a fog has been lifted once they’re off of narcotic medication.”
Patients using prescription opiates should be sure to ask questions of their medical provider or pharmacist to clearly understand the response, as well as know the risks of prescription opioids. Prescription medication should be stored safely away from children, and only taken as prescribed, according to the CDPH.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, help is available. Lake County Narcotics Anonymous can be reached at 707-262-0132. Lake County Alcoholics Anonymous can be reached at 707-995-3316. Lake County Family Resource Center offers counseling and can be reached at 707-279-0563.
Morgen Wells is Sutter Lakeside Hospital's community relations and fund development specialist.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has released the draft Conservation Plan for Gray Wolves in California and is soliciting input about the draft.
The plan is the product of collaboration between CDFW scientific and wildlife experts, and a diverse stakeholder group that has spent many hours since 2012 to develop it.
The group includes Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, California Farm Bureau Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, California Woolgrowers Association, California Deer Association, California Cattlemen's Association and the Center for Biological Diversity, among others.
Interested parties are encouraged to review CDFW's Web site with information about gray wolves in California, including the legal status of wolves under federal and state law, the migration of the first documented wolf in the state in nearly 100 years and CDFW's announcement about the Shasta pack this summer.
The Web site also features procedures for contacting CDFW for those who may experience wolves in the wild.
Informational workshops will be held to provide information and hear views about the plan in early 2016. All meetings will be held from 5 to 8 p.m.
Dates and locations are as follows:
– Yreka: Jan. 21, 2016. Miner's Inn Convention Center/Best Western, 122 E. Miner St.
– Long Beach: Jan. 26, 2016. Pointe Conference Center at CSU Long Beach, Walter Pyramid (entrance on Merriam Way), 1250 N. Bellflower Blvd.
– Sacramento: Feb. 1, 2016. Double Tree Hotel, 2001 Point West Way.
Comments will also be accepted via e-mail at [email protected] , and regular mail at Wolf Plan Comments, P.O. Box 26750, San Francisco, CA 94126.
Please postmark the comments no later than Feb. 15, 2016.