A New T2K Disaster: The Magnatar Flare

[pmulcahy11b]

A Magnatar is a neutron star that is spinning very rapidly. Unlike a pulsar, however, the magnatar radiates magnetic energy instead of light and heat. Every few thousand years, magnatars throw out magnetic flares that can carry for thousands of light years.

If the Earth was in the path of one of those flares, the first thing that would happen would be a giant EMP wave enveloping the Earth. Everything from the satellites around the earth to the magnetic stripes on your credit cards in your pocket would be wiped out, electronically and magnetically.

The second thing is the thing that scientists are less sure of. It could range from the Earth's magnetic field gaining a lot of temporary strength to magnetic substances being heavily magnetized for a time to the Earth's magnetic field being totally stripped away (which would be game over for the Earth). The most interesting possibility from a T2K standpoint is that for many years after the burst, it could be impossible to get any electronic or magnetic devices to work, or even build any more, due to interference from the Earth's partially-strengthened magnetic field.

Interesting!

[Legbreaker]

"Fade out" by Patrick Tilley (author of the Amtrak Wars) describes a situation a bit like the magnetar hit (although his story revolves around alien devices emitting some sort of field preventing any electrical fields stronger than an animal (or human) nervous system operating ).
Very scary with planes falling out of the sky, etc and technology beyond steam suddenly becoming so much useless scrap.
http://www.patrick-tilley.com/

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Hmm, these magnetars are quite frightening when you read what they can do. This is from the wikipedia entry

"The magnetic field of a magnetar would be lethal even at a distance of 1000 km, tearing tissues due to the diamagnetism of water. At a distance halfway to the moon, a magnetar could strip information from a credit card on Earth."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetar

[pmulcahy11b]

"Fade out" by Patrick Tilley (author of the Amtrak Wars) describes a situation a bit like the magnetar hit (although his story revolves around alien devices emitting some sort of field preventing any electrical fields stronger than an animal (or human) nervous system operating ).
Very scary with planes falling out of the sky, etc and technology beyond steam suddenly becoming so much useless scrap.
http://www.patrick-tilley.com/

I'm going to have to look for that one -- though it sounds familiar. I have a lot of books in my "library" (really just a spare bedroom with a bunch of second-hand bookshelves in it) I picked up here and there on the cheap from used bookstores, but haven't actually read yet. I might already have that one.

[Targan]

"Fade out" by Patrick Tilley (author of the Amtrak Wars) describes a situation a bit like the magnetar hit (although his story revolves around alien devices emitting some sort of field preventing any electrical fields stronger than an animal (or human) nervous system operating ).

I've read it. Great book. I also greatly enjoyed The Amtrack Wars when I was a teenager.