Supernovae and Global Warming

[Laura]

I'm in the middle of an email discussion with Scott Littleton (wrote Scythia to
Camelot) who is reading Secret History. The subject of the Pleiades came up. I pointed
out that I didn't think there there were very likely habitable planets there
and that people who talked about aliens coming from there would just turn
off legit scientists (astro-physicists, astronomers, etc) who are aware of
the chaotic nature of that star cluster...

Anyway, after sending off my reply to him, I tried to remember if the Cs had
ever said anything significant about the Pleiades (as a star system). So, I
did a little search through the transcripts. Wasn't anything significant.

I decided to forget about it. Wasn't important. (I'm working my way
through a pile of Moses material anyway and am not supposed to be thinking
about anything else.)

Well, I decided to take a break from "Moses the Egyptian" and flip quickly
through my email and take a look at SOTT (I'm an addict). Since I was
taking a look, I thought I would see if there was anything good for the
Weird desk, so I clicked on the Anomalist. There was an article near the
top that, strangely, spoke to what I had just been discussing with
Littleton:

Really Old Stars Perhaps Ideal for Advanced Civilizations
http://www.seti.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=194993&ct=3760145

That got me going again on thinking about why it was that something was
niggling at the back of my mind. I remembered that the Cs said something
about Barnard's star. So, I did a search on that.

First thing was this website:
http://www.solstation.com/stars/barnards.htm

From there, I followed this link:
The Stars of the Milky Way.
http://members.nova.org/~sol/chview/chv5.htm

which led me to this link:
Notable Nearby Stars.
http://www.solstation.com/stars.htm

There, the stars were categorized by distance from the sun.

One of the first things I noted here was this:

Sol b?
http://www.solstation.com/stars/oort.htm#sol-b

which said:

In 1999, U.K. and U.S. astronomers independently reported finding evidence
that one or more large planets or brown dwarfs gravitationally bound to our
Sun, Sol may be perturbing the orbits of two different groups of long-period
comets at the outer reaches of the Oort Cloud into the inner Solar System
with the assistance of galactic tidal forces. The U.S. team (led by John J.
Matese) estimated that the substellar object may have a mass around three to
five Jupiter-masses and was recently orbiting Sol at around 25,000 AUs in a
wide band running through Constellation Cassiopeia and the the North Star,
Polaris, while calculations by John B. Murray of the U.K. focus on a smaller
region centered around Constellation Delphinus at an estimated distance of
32,000 AUs. Some astronomers believe that Matese and Murray are being misled
by random statistical fluctuations or the past gravitational effects of
passing stars. However, confirmation through direct observation by the
upcoming, new generation of infrared telescopes such as the Stratospheric
Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and the Space Infrared Telescope
Facility (SIRTF) may be feasible if the positions of the hypothesized
objects can be adequately constrained.

I had never read before any relationship between this hypothesized Twin Sun
and Cassiopeia, but it made a funny sort of sense. After all, the ancient
legends point to the "Milky Way" as the "initiatory" path of St. Jacques,
and at the very end of it, bathed in it, is Cassiopeia. I always thought
that was interesting ... and that the Celts called it "The Court of Don"
etc.

That was funny enough but no cigar.

I went back to the Notable Nearby Stars and saw this:

Stars within 100 ly

* Giants & Subgiants
* B Stars
* A Stars
* F Stars
* G Stars
* K Stars

That reminded me of something the Cs had said about supernovae and how close
they had to be to affect human beings. So, I went to the transcripts to
look that up. All I could remember was that it was something about "base
liquid molecules" so the key word for my search was "molecule."

Here's the clip:

5 September 98

Q: (L) Having done my homework on supernovas to some extent,
and having discovered that either supergiant red stars are
in the process of going supernova, or supergiant blue
stars are getting ready to be ready to go supernova, as
well as eruptions of massive interstellar clouds, I note
that Betelgeuse, in the right shoulder of Orion, is a red
supergiant, and Rigel, in the foot of Orion, is a blue
supergiant, both of which could go supernova. Am I going
in the right direction?

A: You have begun to trek down the right path.

Q: (L) We noticed that the supernova that occurred in
Cassiopaea 300 years ago did not seem to have been widely
noticed by people on earth. What is the reason for this?

A: Distance.

Q: (L) Now, formerly I asked about the 'two new stars in
Cygnus and Serpentarius' that were written about in the
Rosicrucian Manifesto of about this period of time, and
you said they were talking about 'novae.' But, it seems
that there are no new stars in either of these
constellations. Yet, at approximately this time, was the
supernova in Cassiopaea.

A: Yes, those with foreknowledge were looking.

Q: (L) Also, there was a supernova that became the Crab
Nebula, which occurred 5,000 years ago, yet was not seen
on earth, which was 900 years ago, which happens to be
exactly the time period I have been looking at as having
been a turning point where seeds were planted that are now
bearing fruit. Can you tell us if this supernova that was
seen 900 years ago, were there effects from the Supernova
that contributed to this state of affairs at the
culmination of the Dark Ages, the creation of the Templars
and so forth. What were the effects of this supernova
that was seen 900 years ago?

A: Excitation of base liquid molecules.

Q: (L) Did this have a physiological effect, or genetic, DNA
effect on people?

A: Slight.

Q: (L) What were the pronounced effects that one would have
been able to note. That is microscopic...

A: Growth.

Q: (L) Growth in what sense? Growth and change in the size
of people?

A: Close.

Q: (L) Growth in a psychological or mental sense?

A: Close.

Q: (L) What kind of growth specifically?

A: Both.

Q: (L) At the time of that particular supernova, 5,000 years
ago, were there any superluminal effects that were felt
instantly?

A: Maybe, research and correlate.

Q: (L) Was the Great Pyramid at Giza built and lined up to
supernova?

A: Part of the picture.

Q: (L) Were these supernova that occurred at the time of the
construction, or that were expected to occur at some point
in the future?

A: Both.

Q: (L) Are supernova in any sense cyclical?

A: In a sense requiring higher senses.

Q: (L) Do supernova create portals to other universes?

A: The doors may be redirected.

Q: (L) Does any of this supernova business have anything to
do with the constellation Leo?

A: In a way.

Q: (L) In what way?

A: Through geometric configuration.

Q: (L) What do you mean 'through geometric configuration?'

A: Status of Trine.

Q: (L) You mentioned the importance of the Horsehead Nebula
in relation to the symbol of the Knight. What is the
significance of the Horsehead Nebula?

A: Keep up your search, as you are near.

Q: (L) What would be the effect of cosmic rays emitted by a
supernova that is in some proximity to the earth on the
human body?

A: Genetic splice of strand.

Q: (L) How close would a supernova have to be to have this
effect?

A: 2000 light years.

Q: (L) So that either of these stars in Orion that are
potential supernova prospects could have this effect since
they are approximately 1500 light years away?

A: Yes.

Q: (A) Are we talking about effects that propagate with the
speed of light, or effects that are superluminal and
instantaneous?

A: Both, and slower as well.

Q: (L) What would be the effect that would be instantaneous?

A: Lesser.

Q: (A) Now this supernova that is supposed to explode soon,
will it be soon in the sense of our SEEING it, that is the
arrival of the light from this, or soon in the
instantaneous sense?

A: Optically.

Q: (L) So, this supernova must have already occurred?

A: Yes.

Q: (L) And where did this supernova take place?

A: No dice, baby!

Q: (L) What clue can I follow to determine which star it is?

A: Instincts.

Q: (A) But, if it already occurred, then this means that the
instantaneous effects have already been felt, even if it
was lesser than the optical effects. It must have been
recorded by anomalous changes in genes? (L) Is that true?

A: Close.

Q: (L) So what, in the records, should we be looking for?

A: Sign of struggle out of sequence with pre-ordained
activities of Royal Blood Lines.

Q: (L) In other words, the usurpation of the blood lines?

A: Close.

Well, the "900 years ago" mentioned in the transcript above made me think of
the article from yesterday on SOTT about Global warming
where the guy said that what
we are experiencing now was precipitated 800 years ago. Well, 900 years is
close... but no cigar.

Then I went to have a look at supergiant stars... like Betelgeuse in
particular. That led me to this page:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030207.html

And when I saw Rigel mentioned, I remembered that, in reference to
supernova, the Cs had said "look to the foot." Well, I always thought that
was too obvious about Orion because Rigel was the "foot of Orion." There
was that funny bit about it:

12 Sept 98
Q: (L) Okay, when reading about the Great Nebula in Orion,
there is a kite shaped area adjacent to the Horsehead
Nebula. I wondered if there was any relation between this
and your previous mention of kites. Are we looking at
something in that particular area of the sky that is going
to go supernova?

A: For supernova, look to the "foot."

Q: (L) Rigel.

A: Maybe.

Note that "foot" was mentioned in the session seven days earlier by me:

Q: (L) Having done my homework on supernovas to some extent,
and having discovered that either supergiant red stars are
in the process of going supernova, or supergiant blue
stars are getting ready to be ready to go supernova, as
well as eruptions of massive interstellar clouds, I note
that Betelgeuse, in the right shoulder of Orion, is a red
supergiant, and Rigel, in the foot of Orion, is a blue
supergiant, both of which could go supernova. Am I going
in the right direction?

A: You have begun to trek down the right path.

Anyway, from the above page I clicked on the Rigel link and read this:

http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/rigel.html

RIGEL (Beta Orionis). Like its rival in Orion, Betelgeuse, Rigel (Beta
Orionis) is a supergiant. Its name comes from the same root as Betelgeuse's,
originally "rijl Al-jauza," meaning the "foot" of al-jauza, the Arabs
"Central One."

That sort of caught me unawares... I clicked on the Betelgeuse link and
read this:

http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/betelgeuse.html

"The name Betelgeuse is a corruption of the Arabic "yad al jauza," which
means the "hand of al-jauza," al-jauza the ancient Arabs' "Central One," a
mysterious woman."

I had always wondered if Orion wasn't originally depicted as a Woman. And of
course, I thought of the "central place of Cassiopeia in the Milky Way.

For us, the star represents the left foot of Orion, the mythical hunter. It
is usually pictured as perched upon a fainter star, Cursa (Beta Eridani),
which represents the hunter's foot stool.

Though Rigel is Orion's Beta star, it appears to us somewhat brighter than
the Alpha star, Betelgeuse, perhaps suggesting that Betelgeuse was somewhat
brighter in times past. Rigel ranks 7th in visual brightness, just behind
Auriga's Capella. At a distance of 775 light years, Rigel actually shines
with the light of 40,000 Suns.

And it is right there that I thought: 775 years ago is close enough to 800
years ago that we can call it a hit.

It is a "blue supergiant," a fairly hot star with a surface temperature
(11,000 Kelvin) about double that of our Sun. Its warmer temperature gives
it a bluish-white light that contrasts beautifully with Betelgeuse. If the
hot star's invisible ultraviolet radiation is considered, the luminosity
climbs to 66,000 solar, the radiation pouring from a star 70 times the solar
size.

Rigel is accompanied by a fairly bright, seventh magnitude companion nine
seconds of arc away. Normally such a star is easily found in a small
telescope, but Rigel's brilliance nearly overwhelms it. The companion, at
least 50 times farther from Rigel than Pluto is from the Sun, is itself
double, the components much fainter and much less massive class B main
sequence stars that are fusing hydrogen into helium.

With an original mass around 17 times that of the Sun, Rigel is in the
process of dying, and is most likely fusing internal helium into carbon and
oxygen. The star seems fated to explode, though it might just make it under
the wire as a rare heavy oxygen-neon white dwarf. Rigel is a part of a large
association whose stars are related by birth. The group includes the stars
of Orion's Belt, the Orion Nebula of Orion's sword and its illuminating
stars, and many of the other hot blue-white stars in the constellation.

And so, of course, I wonder if I have found an "event" - as yet unknown -
that is related to our "Global Warming"issue?

Are we going to SEE Rigel blow in the next couple of years... and, if we SEE
it, will we also very soon afterward experience any other effects?

In any event, it was a strange little series of "finds."

To finish it off, there is also this:

Rho Cassiopeiae
http://www.solstation.com/x-objects/rho-cas.htm

Rho Cassiopeiae (Rho Cas) belongs to an unusual class of stars called
hypergiants, which are much brighter and many times more massive than Sol.
Despite being located some 10,000 light-years (ly) away, the star is visible
to the naked eye because it is over 500,000 times more luminous than Sol.
Like all extremely massive stars, however, hypergiants are very short-lived
with a total life of only a few million years. Rho Cas is a yellow
hypergiant, which are particularly rare objects as only seven (including HR
8752 and IRC+10420) have been found in the Milky Way. With surface
temperatures between 3,500 and 7,000 °K, yellow hypergiants appear to be
stars that are at a very evolved stage of their life and may be close to
exploding as supernovae.

It could, of course, have already gone supernova a long time ago, we just
don't know it yet.

And the same with Rigel...

Anybody who hasn't read Richard Firestone et al "The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophe" might want to pick up a copy real quick.

 

[mkrnhr]

reading and re-reading this post since yesterday, I wonder why there are no replies. shouldn't we reply? I've purchased Richard Firestone et al. "The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophe" and although not reading it yet in detail (I'm actually rereading "who wrote the bible and why" in "the secret history ofthe world"). A rapid look however suggests that the authors argue that the meteor showers are linked to supernovae and that the twin sun observation is a nearby supernova manifestation. Now the cyclic cometary showers are induced by a compagnon to the sun, of a supernova or maybe both (a syncronicity induced by the wave?). Is the wave inducing supernovae on unstable stars (ready to explose)? The fast effects (faster then light) are also wondering. I don't ask for answers but it could be helpful if there are some additionnal references :P . Maybe some readers can guide me?

 

[Laura]

Don't read Firestone so much for their theory as to why things happened as for their evidence as to WHAT happened.

I'm not writing the above to support their theory, it was just a process of following some clues that I was sharing.

 

[mkrnhr]

I understand. thank you very much.

 

[John G]

I had never read before any relationship between this hypothesized Twin Sun
and Cassiopeia, but it made a funny sort of sense. After all, the ancient
legends point to the "Milky Way" as the "initiatory" path of St. Jacques,
and at the very end of it, bathed in it, is Cassiopeia. I always thought
that was interesting ... and that the Celts called it "The Court of Don"
etc.

This could be interesting. I think Cass, Leo and the center of the Milky Way have a trine relationship.

 

[Vulcan59]

A massive star around 150 times the size of the Sun has exploded in what is the brightest supernova ever seen, Nasa scientists have said.

Supernovae occur when huge, mature stars effectively run out of fuel and collapse in on themselves.

But scientists believe this one was obliterated in an explosion which blasted all its material into space.

And astronomers say a star in our own Milky Way galaxy could be about to perform the same celestial fireworks.

The supernova star, called SN 2006gy, was originally discovered in September last year.

The explosion peaked for about 70 days, during which it is thought to have shone about five times more brightly than any supernova seen in the past.

"Of all exploding stars ever observed, this was the king," Alex Filippenko, one of the Nasa-backed astronomers observing the phenomenon, said.

'Monstrous explosion'

Nathan Smith, who led a joint team from the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Texas in Austin, said it was a "truly monstrous explosion, a hundred times more energetic than a typical supernova".

"That means the star that exploded might have been as massive as a star can get, about 150 times that of our sun. We've never seen that before."


Eta Carinae's explosion could be the best star-show in the history of modern civilization
Mario Livio

He said the star, which is 240 million light years away, polluted the surrounding environment with metals and elements that are needed for life.

Scientists say that the star which exploded is similar to Eta Carinae, an enormous star in our own Milky Way.

They say that before the supernova SN 2006gy expelled a large amount of material, similar in mass to Eta Carinae, prompting speculation that a similar fate awaits Eta Carinae.

Dave Pooley, at the University of California at Berkeley, said if Eta Carinae were to explode "it would be so bright that you would see it during the day, and you could even read a book by its light at night."

He added there has not been a supernova in the Earth's Milky Way galaxy for more than 400 years.

Mario Livio, of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, said that Eta Carinae could explode at any time.

"This could happen tomorrow, it could happen 1,000 years from now," he told the Reuters news agency.

"Eta Carinae's explosion could be the best star-show in the history of modern civilization," he said.

Just read the above aritcle at the BBC here.

 

[dant]

"Astronomers report a super-duper supernova"
Reported in: Oregonian, pp A3
By Dennis Overbye: New York Times News Service

Space | A "freakishly massive" star goes out in the brightest, biggest blast every recorded

Kaboom indeed.
In a cascade of superlatives that belies the traditional cerebral reserve of their profession,
astronomers reported Monday that they had seen the brightest and most powerful stellar
explosion ever recorded.

The cataclysm - a monster more than a hundred times as energetic as the typical supernova
in which the more massive stars end their lives - may be an example, they said of a completely
new type of explosion. Such a blast, proposed but never seen, would explain how the earliest
and most massive stars in the universe ended their lives and strewed new elements across
space to fertilize future stars and planets.

"It is quite possibly the most massive start that has ever been seen to explode," said Nathan
smith of the University of California, Berkeley, who estimated it as "freakishly massive,"
about 150 times the mass of the Sun

Smith lead a team of astronomers from Berkeley and the University of Texas who have submitted
a paper about the supernova to The Astrophysical Journal and discussed the results Monday at a
news conference from NASA headquarters in Washington. "We're really excited about this," he
said. "If it really is what we think it is, it forces us to rethink how massive stars die."

Astronomers have been following this start since September, when it was discovered in a galaxy
240 million light years away in the constellation Perseus. The discovery was made by
Robert Quimby, a University of Texas graduate student who was using a small robotic telescope
at McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis, Texas to troll for supernovas.

The start bears ab eerie resemblance to Eta Carinae, a star in our own galaxy that has been
burbling and bubbling in the last few centuries as if getting ready for it's own outburst. The
observations suggest that the troubled and enigmatic Eta Carinae, thought to weigh in at
about 120 solar masses, could blow up sooner than theorist have thought. Mario Livio, a
theorist at the Space Telescope Science Institute who was not involved in the research, said
Sta Carinae's death could be "the most spectacular star show in history."

Cautioning that the theorists still did not know for sure what has caused the explosion announced
Monday, Livio said: "Here we have the brightest supernova we have ever observed, and we
don't know the explosion mechanism. It doesn't get any more exciting for a theorist."

Such supermassive stars are rare in the modern universe but are believed to have been common
among the first stars that formed when the universe was less than a billion years old. The blast
raises astronomers' hopes thast the next generation of bigger telescopes, such as NASA's coming
James Webb Space Telescope, will be able to detect these stars by their explosions.

==============================================================

Berkeley Site: _http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2007/05/07_supernova.shtml

While looking for subjects discussed of Perseus, I found some of the following discussions
below and found it interesting. :)

06-13-98
Q: This Medusa idea, as I have recently learned, is part of a triad of female figures. And in this triad,
the other two female figures are Cassiopaea and Andromeda, or Cassiopaean and Danae. I don't
know which set to select.
A: Select that which fits.
Q: I think that Danae and Cassiopaea could be the same entity in the mythical sense...
A: Who speaks for Andromeda?
Q: Cassiopaea... or Perseus? What do you mean who 'speaks' for her?
A: If you do not know, you need more pieces before you can advance. You see, ask the mathematics
teacher what happens if students fail to maintain the progression of study? But why?
Q: Because, if you fall behind, you miss a piece and can never catch up because other pieces don't fit,
so you have to find the piece that fits.
A: Is this true Arkadiusz?
Q: (A) What happens is just that they stop understanding what follows next. (L) Okay, the story says that Perseus has slain Medusa and he is on his way back and came to Ethiopia. He found that a lovely maiden had been given up to be devoured by a horrible sea-serpent, and her name was Andromeda. She was the daughter of a 'silly, vain woman named Cassiopaean.' She had boasted that she was more beautiful than the daughters of the Sea God. The punishment for the arrogance of Cassiopaea fell not on her, but on her daughter, Andromeda. The Ethiopians were being devoured in huge numbers by the serpent - sounds a little bit like what the Lizzies are doing today - and learning from the oracle that they could be freed from the pest only if Andromeda could be offered up to the beast - the forced Cephus, her father, to offer her up. So, her mother got her into the soup and her father turned on the heat. Anyway, Perseus arrived and the maiden was chained to a rocky ledge waiting for the monster. He saw her and fell instantly in love. So, he waited beside her until the great snake came and cut off its head. They sailed away and lived happily ever after. So, who spoke for Andromeda, her mother and father, is that what you mean?
A: It is a beginning.
Q: Okay, so what is the point of who spoke for Andromeda? What does that have to do with the 1/3 of 33?
A: Your searches sooner or later "net" results.

06-07-97
Q: In reading the Celtic legends, I discovered that Cassiopaea was equated with Danu, or Don, as in Tuatha de Danaan, or the court of the goddess Danu. So, in other words, the supreme goddess of the Aryans was Cassiopaea. And, Cassiopaea is found in the zodiacal area of Aries, the 'lamb,' where Cephus the 'rock' and 'king' is also found, as well as Perseus, 'he who breaks' and serpentarius. The image is of Perseus overcoming the serpent, and the ancient Celtic engravings of the horned god show him gripping two serpents by the throat. I would like to understand the symbology here...
A: You are on the right track.
Q: What is the symbology of the 'breaking of rocks,' as in the alchemical texts, as well as related to Perseus as 'he who breaks?'
A: Occurs at a time when rocks break, as in the electromagnetic impulses that emanate from earthbound rocks when sheared by tectonic forces, and much more importantly, the possible utilization of said forces whether naturally or otherwise induced.
Q: Before we take our break, can you say any more about this ubiquitous 'she' of the Celts, Cassiopaea, and the relationship to the Aryans?
A: Better continue your search, as this is how you learn and build power!
Q: When you said I needed to find a 'superhypnotist' to break the locks on the knowledge placed in my superconsciousness, and then you suggested a 'spin' doctor, and now Ark's actions while I was sleeping brought out some of the keys to large pieces of the puzzle and the connections, am I on the right track when I think that the actions we are taking in searching out these pieces of the puzzle, putting them together, and the amazing discoveries that have taken place as we go along, is the action of the 'breaking' of these locks?
A: Likely.

 

[Cyre2067]

Shotgun Bending Space/time.

 

[dant]

Shotgun Bending Space/time.

Huh? Quite expressive ;)

 

[Mikey]

Q: (L) And where did this supernova take place?
A: No dice, baby!

A: Yes, those with foreknowledge were looking.

There is however a possibility for foreknowledge of coming supernovae! A burst of Neutrinos from a supernova arrives hours to days before electromagnetic (optical) waves. So, if you're interested in being notified about the occurrence of a neutrino burst, sign up to the mailing list of the SNEWS SuperNova Early Warning System Project! With a little luck, you are on the right side of the hemisphere at the right nighttime with the right weather and are gazing in the right direction (if you check your emails regularly, of course)! ;)

 

[holy_roller]

I wonder how is the recent supernova explosion and the same scenario being expected in our Solar system connected to the subject? I mean Eta Carinae in the constellation of Carina - "if it were to explode, it would be so bright that you would see it during the day, and you could even read a book by its light at night" (BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6633609.stm).

Q: (L) How close would a supernova have to be to have this
effect?
A: 2000 light years.

...the constellation of Carina is located at a distance of 111.87 Light Years from our Solar system. Much closer than needed. Maybe it's of no significance - just wondering.

 

[Galaxia2002]

Q: (L) How close would a supernova have to be to have this
effect?
A: 2000 light years.
...the constellation of Carina is located at a distance of 111.87 Light Years from our Solar system. Much closer than needed. Maybe it's of no significance - just wondering.

Hi, The costellation of Carina is located at 111 light year but the supernova explotion was located about 240 million light years away, then there would not be notorious effect on us.

 

[Charles]

Hi, The costellation of Carina is located at 111 light year but the supernova explotion was located about 240 million light years away, then there would not be notorious effect on us.

I think there is some misunderstanding. In light of the recently noticed super- supernova at 240 million light years, people were simply discussing the possibility of a bigger bang from close by (relatively speaking). Eta carinae is one such candidate, Rigel and Betelgeuse are others.

 

[Charles]

Edit :
I have moved this post to Coming Earthquakes: http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=5555&p=3 , as the only immediate relation with this thread was the fact that Gamma Ray Bursts could possibly trigger earthquakes.

 

[Petey of Lone Tree]

From Yahoo News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070511/ap_on_bi_ge/allstate_california;_ylt=AjtovUs2RMuSeFJnuIPCxjjMWM0F

Allstate to stop insuring Calif. homes Fri May 11, 6:37 AM ET

CHICAGO - Allstate Corp. will stop writing new homeowners policies in California beginning in July, the company said Thursday.

An Allstate spokesman said the move was to help control its catastrophe exposure in the state, which is prone to wildfires and earthquakes.

The move will not affect current customers, nor will it affect auto insurance. Allstate agents in the state will continue to work with customers, but will offer new homeowners customers insurance through partner Pacific Specialty Insurance Co.

Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate and other homeowners insurers have had a contentious relationship with insurance regulators in the state over homeowners insurance prices.

Though several large insurers cut prices in the state lately, Allstate in September asked for an average 12 percent increase. The request is still pending.

The spokesman said the move to stop writing new policies in California was not driven by insurance rates, but was purely a move to limit its exposure to catastrophe.

Allstate has already tightened its standards for writing coverage in the state, one of its largest in terms of customers, and has already stopped offering earthquake insurance.

In the first quarter of 2007, Allstate said it wrote 11,000 new homeowners policies in California, a drop from the 16,000 it wrote in the first quarter of 2006, the spokesman said.

Allstate has also trimmed coastal exposure in other states that are prone to natural catastrophes. Allstate has also stopped writing new homeowners policies in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida and New Jersey as well as in eight coastal New York counties.