Solar storms will peak in 2013 and wreak havoc on Earth's electrical communications, top scientist warns
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Pastor Dale Morgan
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May 18, 2011, 3:50:41 PM5/18/11
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Signs In The
Sun, The Moon and The Stars
Solar storms will peak in 2013 and wreak havoc on Earth's
electrical communications, top scientist warns
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:43 PM on 18th May 2011
Solar storms could have 'devastating effects' on human technology
when they hit a peak in two years' time, a leading scientist has
warned.
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assistant
secretary Kathryn Sullivan said the storms pose a growing threat
to critical infrastructure such as satellite communications,
navigation systems and electrical transmission equipment.
Solar storms release particles that can temporarily disable or
permanently destroy fragile computer circuits.
The world got a taster of the sun's explosive power in February
when the strongest solar eruption in five years sent a torrent of
charged plasma hurtling towards the world. A leading scientist
believes a ferocious solar storm will occur in 2013
The world got a taster of the sun's explosive power in February
when the strongest solar eruption in five years sent a torrent of
charged plasma hurtling towards the world. A leading scientist
believes a ferocious solar storm will occur in 2013
Dr Sullivan, a former Nasa astronaut who in 1984 became the first
woman to walk in space, yesterday told a UN weather conference in
Geneva that 'it is not a question of if, but really a matter of
when a major solar event could hit our planet'.
She is not the only expert to issue a warning about the threat
posed by solar storms.
In February, astronomers warned that mankind is now more
vulnerable to such an event than at any time in history - and that
the planet should prepare for a global Hurricane Katrina-style
disaster.
A massive eruption of the sun would save waves of radiation and
charged particles to Earth, damaging the satellite systems used
for synchronising computers, airline navigation and phone
networks.
If the storm is powerful enough it could even crash stock markets
and cause power cuts that last weeks or months, experts told the
American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Threat: Rio de Janeiro during a blackout in 2009. A solar storm
could cause global power cuts for months, scientists have warned
Threat: Rio de Janeiro during a blackout in 2009. A solar storm
could cause global power cuts for months, scientists have warned
The chances of a disruption from space are getting stronger
because the sun is entering the most active period of its 11 to
12-year natural cycle.
The world got a taster of the sun's explosive power in February
when the strongest solar eruption in five years sent a torrent of
charged plasma hurtling towards the world at 580 miles per second.
The storm created spectacular aurorae and disrupted radio
communications.
Solar storms are caused by massive explosions on the sun.
The explosions release waves of X-rays and ultraviolet radiation
which smash into the Earth within minutes, disrupting radio
signals and damaging the electronics of satellites.
They are followed ten to 20 minutes later by a burst of energetic
particles which cause even more havoc with satellites - and then
15 to 30 hours later by supercharged plasma which collides with
Earth's magnetic field.
Communications satellites would be knocked out by a solar storm,
causing widespread chaos on Earth and hundreds of billions of
pounds of damage
Communications satellites would be knocked out by a solar storm,
causing widespread chaos on Earth and hundreds of billions of
pounds of damage
The plasma create the aurora - or Northern Lights - and can induce
electrical currents in power lines and cables.
The sun goes through a regular activity cycle about 11 years long
on average. The last solar maximum occurred in 2001. Its latest
minimum was particularly weak and long lasting.
Space storms are not new. The first major solar flare was recorded
by British astronomer Richard Carrington in 1859.
Other solar geomagnetic storms have been observed in recent
decades. One huge solar flare in 1972 cut off long-distance
telephone communication in the mid-western state of Illinois, Nasa
said.
Another similar flare in 1989 'provoked geomagnetic storms that
disrupted electric power transmission' and caused blackouts across
the Canadian province of Quebec, the U.S. space agency said.