Solar storms have the potential to cause global catastrophe. To make matters worse, we might not see the next one coming.
can heat Earth’s atmosphere, causing it to expand and drag on low-flying satellites, but all measurements suggested only mild consequences. Power grids and satellites might glitch a little and skywatchers at high latitudes might notice aurorae, but nothing serious.Kennedy Space Center, however, it was clear something was up. When they reached Earth’s upper atmosphere, the satellites experienced much more drag than expected for the storm’s magnitude. In the end, nothing could be done.
Down here on Earth, we enjoy the benefits of energy and light from the sun. We couldn’t live without it. But we are also exposed to a constant barrage of solar wind, charged particles coming from our star. Most of the time, these only make themselves known in colourful displays of aurorae. Every so often, however, the sun spits out a lot more material, endangering satellites and infrastructure on Earth. Usually, these come with the warning of a solar flare a day or two before they reach us. But recent research suggests some storms could appear with no warning at all. …App + Web
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