- Image via Wikipedia
Quote from NASA update:
The sun and Earth are separated by 93 million miles of space—a seemingly safe distance. But since the Space Age began, and especially in recent years, there has been a growing realization that 93 million miles really isn’t so far apart.
Solar mass ejections from the Sun, consisting of a breeze of plasma, can be traced to the phenomenon here on Earth known as the Aurora Borealis. Today, Dr. Tony Philips of NASA issued an update informing the public of the meeting on Germany of “representatives from more than 25 of the world’s most technologically-advanced nations” declaring the risks solar storms pose on the safety of urban society.
In an earlier update on January 21 2009, it was revealed that ”a solar flare can make you toilet stop working”, and that
[t]he strongest geomagnetic storm on record is the Carrington Event of August-September 1859, named after British astronomer Richard Carrington who witnessed the instigating solar flare with his unaided eye while he was projecting an image of the sun on a white screen. Geomagnetic activity triggered by the explosion electrified telegraph lines, shocking technicians and setting their telegraph papers on fire; Northern Lights spread as far south as Cuba and Hawaii; auroras over the Rocky Mountains were so bright, the glow woke campers who began preparing breakfast because they thought it was morning. Best estimates rank the Carrington Event as 50% or more stronger than the superstorm of May 1921.
If you are interested in tracking solar storms, with training instructions provided, visit http://solarstormwatch.com/ to watch next to live data streamed every hour from STEREO, which “ consists of two space-based observatories – one ahead of Earth in its orbit, the other trailing behind. [NASA STEREO Website]“
- Image by NASA Goddard Photo and Video via Flickr
Ultimately it becomes very easy to tie the possibility of a solar mass ejection to doomsday prophecies, but much more difficult to provide solutions. One such person by the name of Lawrence E. Joseph featured on the popular American radio show Coast to Coast AM suggested that a good way to counter these plasma bursts from the Sun frying electrical components in the ground would be to install giant surge protectors to prevent an overload of electricity. HowStuffWorks further explains how excess power is diverted from the surge protector to the ground, but the true test of this concept would be to develop a working prototype capable of protecting the Power Grid.
In conclusion, solar storms can trigger beautiful displays on light on Earth’s poles, but they can also trigger disasters. Hence a meeting was needed to put forth new ideas and raise awareness on the risks associated with a plasma ejection travelling to the Earth. Surge protection found in most homes could be the solution, if applied on a grand scale, but unless more people become educated on the risks of solar storms, the demand for their installation, or the installation of other preventative technology, could be compromised.
If you are interested in the topic of solar storms here are some articles below for further reading:
- ‘Sun Awakens’: Scientists Warn of Solar Storms to Come (abcnews.go.com)
- Lawrence E. Joseph: The Solar ‘Katrina’ Storm That Could Take Our Power Grid Out For Years (huffingtonpost.com)
- Earth Gets Geomagnetic Wallop (news.discovery.com)
- STEREO Reveals Solar Storm Related to Failure Aboard Communications Satellite (eon.businesswire.com)
