Once every 25 years, the Sun needs to release a part of the burden it carries so it splashes streams of particles into space. Those particles run through space and cover the 95 million miles between the Sun and Earth at the dazzling velocity of 290 miles per second. Scientists call them solar storms or solar superstorms, depending on the intensity of the winds.
What happens then is that Earth’s magnetic field can no longer handle the amount of radiation and the radiation causes huge damage.
The most massive solar storm ever recorded
Back in 1859, a solar superstorm called the Carrington Event destroyed the telegraph system in Europe, since Europe was the continent facing the stream. Back then, the telegraph system was today’s GPS navigation, mobile phone signal, and satellite TV. That can be easily seen as a disaster.
According to researchers from the University of Warwick and the British Antarctic Survey, the solar superstorms happen, on average, once every 3 years and the superstorms once every 25 years.
Solar storms can impact Earth at about 1 Million Mph
The study led by Professor Sandra Chapman, from the University of Warwick’s Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics, is warning that we’re way past the 25 years term, so it’s only right that the solar storm would be bombarding Earth the way it currently does.
“This research proposes a new method to approach historical data, to provide a better picture of the chance of occurrence of super-storms and what super-storm activity we are likely to see in the future,” said Chapman.
With solar storms at speeds higher than 1 million miles per hour, the satellite-based technology, electrical transformers, and power stations are facing great risk. Blowouts and a loss of power are to be expected. The heat will expand the outer atmosphere, and the blue lights of aurorae will extend beyond their usual northern and southern places.
