- Subscribe to PCF Networked Blog Daily Updates
- Subscribe to our Twitter / Google / Yahoo Daily Updates
A
group of scientists have put the world on alert that a massive solar flare
could happen within the next two years that could harm power grids,
communications, and satellites around the world. The scientists say that the
risk of a massive flare that could harm systems on the earth increase as the
sun reaches the peak of its 10-year activity cycle. The scientists say
“governments are taking it very seriously.”
According
to scientist Mike Hapgood, who specializes in space weather at the Rutherford
Appleton Laboratory, solar storms are more commonly being placed on national
risk registers used for disaster planning along with events such as tsunamis
and volcanic eruption. Hapgood warns that while solar flares are rare, when
they occur, consequences on earth could be catastrophic. Magnetically-charged
plasma thrown from the surface of the sun can have a significant impact on
earth.
The
chance of a massive solar storm is about 12% for every decade. According to the
scientists, the last major solar storm was over 150 years ago, and the odds say
that a massive solar storm occurs approximately once in every 100 years. The
fear is that these massive solar storms could melt transformers within national
power grids, destroy or damage satellites, knockout radio communications, and
more.
The
largest solar storm ever recorded happened in 1859. British astronomer Richard
Carrington observed a large solar eruption, and the geomagnetic storms caused
by the eruption took 17 hours to reach the earth. According to reports from
1859, the solar storm is so massive that the aurora borealis was seen as far
south as the Caribbean. Had such an event happened in modern times with
satellites in orbit, the consequences could have been disastrous.
No comments:
Post a Comment