The Torino Impact Hazard Scale & NEO's

 The Torino Impact Hazard Scale

& Near Earth Objects (NEO's) 

The Torino Impact Scale isn't that old. First thought of by Professor Richard P. Binzel of MIT in 1995, and officially adapted and adopted by the UN in 1999- the scale is used to measure hazards caused by NEO's such as asteroids, meteors, and comets. So far we haven't had any noteworthy impacts here on Earth, even the 2013 Russian Chelyabinsk meteor which actually hit the Earth measured a Zero on the scale. It certainly makes you wonder what a 3 would be like. Below is the impact scale, and more resources that are available to monitor events such as these in the future. The next blip that comes up on the Earth's scale will occur in June of 2048, but at the moment has a Non-Zero rating - 2007 VK184.

You can track Near Earth Objects on

www.SpaceWeather.com

(Scroll to bottom of page, below is a screenshot:)

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

NASA Torino Impact Scale 

Torino Scale Wiki 

NOAA's Space Weather Scales - Geomagnetic, Solar Radiation & Radio Blackouts

 Space Weather Scales

Geomagnetic, Solar Radiation & Radio Blackouts

 Every 11 or so years the Sun goes through her 'angry phase' or the solar maximum, in which she spits out a whole lot of energy and radiation. Solar storms cause many different things to happen including the widely known Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis (or Northern & Southern Lights), weather changes, geomagnetic storms, radiation storms, and radio blackouts. In rare cases a solar storm can even cause an Solar Flare EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse / Solar Flare) which can knock down electricity grids and more. See: Solar Storm 1859 - The Carrington Event.

The sun can be monitored at www.SPACEWEATHER.com which has a variety of different features which can help you in keeping track of what the sun is spewing at us. The next solar maximum can occur between 2018 and 2023, so you have a bit of time to figure it all out :)

Below are the hazard scales for space weather, separated into 3 cateogories:
Geomagnetic, Solar Radiation, and Radio Blackout.
 

Fun Fact:

The largest solar flare happened on November 4th, 2003 and measured a huge X45!

For more information on solar flare classification see:

Solar Flare Classification 

xoxo disaster girl

P.F.S. Links for the Curious

NOAA Space Weather Scales