Deep in Greenland’s ancient ice sheet, scientists have uncovered evidence of an “enormous” solar storm that struck Earth more than 2,600 years ago, according to a new study. Our planet, researchers add, would be ill-prepared in the likely event of another such cosmic bombardment.
Deep in Greenland’s ancient ice sheet, scientists have uncovered evidence of an “enormous” solar storm that struck Earth more than 2,600 years ago, according to a new study. Our planet, the researchers add, would be ill-prepared in the likely event of another such cosmic bombardment., which was published Monday in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” journal, was led by researchers from Sweden’s Lund University.
A solar storm occurs when explosions on the sun’s surface blast high-energy particles into the cosmos. The radiation and magnetic shockwave unleashed from a solar storm “of such magnitude occurring in modern times could result in severe disruption of satellite-based technologies, high-frequency radio communication, and space-based navigation systems,” the study said.
According to the researchers, it is the third known case of such a massive solar storm hitting Earth in historical times. The others, they say, took place in 775 and 994 AD. During those events, humans would have been treated to a dazzling display of aurora. And although these kinds of enormous solar storms remain incredibly rare, one could very likely strike our planet again, but with much more devastating effects this time around.
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