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Movie "Knowing"



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 12th 09, 08:43 PM posted to sci.astro
Glen Watson
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Default Movie "Knowing"

The end of the 2009 movie "Knowing" shows Earth destroyed by a solar flare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQEh5_pSbd4

Is this even remotely possible?

I was under the impression that solar flares might be able to knock out
satellites, but that's about it.



  #2  
Old August 12th 09, 09:15 PM posted to sci.astro
dlzc
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Posts: 1,426
Default Movie "Knowing"

Dear Glen Watson:

On Aug 12, 12:43*pm, "Glen Watson" wrote:
The end of the 2009 movie "Knowing" shows Earth
destroyed by a solar flare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQEh5_pSbd4

Is this even remotely possible?


Ending life as we know it, yes. Very remotely. Breaking the planet
up, no, very unlikely.

I was under the impression that solar flares might
be able to knock out satellites, but that's about it.


Depends on the mass involved, and its proximity to Earth and for how
long.

David A. Smith
  #3  
Old August 12th 09, 09:41 PM posted to sci.astro
Glen Watson
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Posts: 4
Default Movie "Knowing"



"dlzc" wrote in message
...
Dear Glen Watson:

On Aug 12, 12:43 pm, "Glen Watson" wrote:
The end of the 2009 movie "Knowing" shows Earth
destroyed by a solar flare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQEh5_pSbd4

Is this even remotely possible?


Ending life as we know it, yes. Very remotely. Breaking the planet
up, no, very unlikely.

I was under the impression that solar flares might
be able to knock out satellites, but that's about it.


Depends on the mass involved, and its proximity to Earth and for how
long.

David A. Smith


One of the characters in the movie wants to go deep into a cave to attempt
to survive the flare but is told that the radiation could kill up to one
mile deep.

If we had advance notice of a killer solar storm, could we create some kind
of shelter that could keep enough people and other life forms alive until it
was safe to repopulate the planet?



  #4  
Old August 12th 09, 10:08 PM posted to sci.astro
Androcles[_17_]
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Posts: 28
Default Movie "Knowing"


"Glen Watson" wrote in message
...
The end of the 2009 movie "Knowing" shows Earth destroyed by a solar
flare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQEh5_pSbd4

Is this even remotely possible?


Bwhahahahaha!
1) The speed at which the flames advance across the city is pathetically
slow.
2) They would require atmosphere (oxygen) to be present, not just heat.
3) After 4,000,000,000 years it still hasn't happened.

I was under the impression that solar flares might be able to knock out
satellites, but that's about it.


I get some break-up of digital signal in the summer time from Bluebell Hill
transmissions, does that count?
http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=TQ757613
--Androcles




  #5  
Old August 12th 09, 11:57 PM posted to sci.astro
dlzc
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Posts: 1,426
Default Movie "Knowing"

Dear Glen Watson:

On Aug 12, 1:41*pm, "Glen Watson" wrote:
"dlzc" wrote in message
...
On Aug 12, 12:43 pm, "Glen Watson" wrote:

....
The end of the 2009 movie "Knowing" shows Earth
destroyed by a solar flare.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQEh5_pSbd4


Is this even remotely possible?


Ending life as we know it, yes. *Very remotely.
*Breaking the planet up, no, very unlikely.


I was under the impression that solar flares might
be able to knock out satellites, but that's about it.


Depends on the mass involved, and its proximity
to Earth and for how long.


One of the characters in the movie wants to go deep
into a cave to attempt to survive the flare but is told
that the radiation could kill up to one mile deep.


It is always a good idea to climb into one's grave prior to the end,
but 6 feet is usually enough.

If we had advance notice of a killer solar storm,
could we create some kind of shelter that could
keep enough people and other life forms alive


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/ear...lds-seeds.html

until it was safe to repopulate the planet?


If it was "energetic radiation" that 1 mile of depth was required for
adequate protection, then no, the planet is dead. Everything is
sterilized and we depend on even microorganisms to survive. The ozone
produced would have decayed in a month or so so that it was safe to
breathe...

If it was just thermally so hot that it required 1 mile of depth as
enough insulation for adequate protection, then no, you are sealed
into a rock prison with hundreds of feet of molten lava sealing you
in. And if you did break out, there would be little atmosphere left
to greet you.

But it is fiction, and I am not sure what Mr. Cage's infatuation with
prescience is, but it is not serving him well. But I guess you can
only make "National Treasure" once... and he still has to eat...

David A. Smith
  #6  
Old August 13th 09, 01:07 AM posted to sci.astro
William Hamblen[_2_]
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Posts: 236
Default Movie "Knowing"

On Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:43:06 -0700, "Glen Watson" wrote:

The end of the 2009 movie "Knowing" shows Earth destroyed by a solar flare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQEh5_pSbd4

Is this even remotely possible?


Naw.

"The Year of the Jackpot" by Heinlein is a pretty good story.

Bud
  #7  
Old August 13th 09, 04:40 AM posted to sci.astro
Yousuf Khan
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Posts: 594
Default Movie "Knowing"

Glen Watson wrote:
The end of the 2009 movie "Knowing" shows Earth destroyed by a solar flare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQEh5_pSbd4

Is this even remotely possible?

I was under the impression that solar flares might be able to knock out
satellites, but that's about it.


I got the feeling that the movie would've been more believable if the
calamity that was approaching was the Sun turning into a red giant ahead
of schedule. But of course that's not scheduled to happen for another 5
billion years. So that might stretch suspension-of-disbelief.

Of course in only a billion years, the Sun will be 10% brighter and that
should be enough to boil off all of the oceans and life as we know it.
Just no name for that time period, so you can't menace anybody with it.
Oh well. :-)

Yousuf Khan
 




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