A SOLAR SUPERSTORM IS COMING: ARE WE READY ?

A SOLAR SUPERSTORM IS COMING: ARE WE READY ?

courtesy: commutefaster.com

A solar superstorm is in the making, according to Nasa.  It is after all, a normal event that often coincides with the culmination of a 12 year cycle of the sun' explosive activity, to go out with a veritable 'bang'.  Depending on which side of the sun the explosion occurs, the event could cause major disruption to sensitive computer and satellite instrumentation.  

As evident and common as solar flares are, scientists are only able to give a 30- minute warning, as the precursor signs do not offer a greater leeway to the observers.  A super-storm, especially one that is emitted directly in the direction of the Earth, however is a much more significant event than the smaller solar flares that occur more often.

Solar superstorms occur regularly at intervals of about 100 to 200 years.  The last big one was observed in 1859.  Considering the lack of sophisticated instrumentation at the time, the explosion must have made a considerable visual impact if it was observed from the earth, as it was, by astronomer Richard Carrington. 

Many 'super-storms' have occurred during the sun's cycles peaks through the ages, and they have left a marked radiation imprint on the earth.  In fact the discovery of the 1859 massive coronal mass ejection was confirmed from the study of tree rings just recently. 

A superstorm today could wreak unexpected havoc on a variety of infrastructures.  Since we have not had a similar event, but only smaller ones, it is hard to predict what could be the total impact of such an occurrence.

One of the things that could be damaged is the electrical grid, but also satellites, which would impair GPS navigation and the phone networks, particularly the 4G network.

Governments have been advised to make all the necessary preparations in the case the superstorm occurs.      

Source: The Indipendent 2.6.13/Connor