Our sun isn’t just the light at the center of our solar system, it’s also an ever-changing ball of gas that experiences superstorms of epic proportions every so often. Superstorms on the sun are so powerful they can send massive blasts of plasma and radiation hurtling through space, causing damages to power grids and communications satellites as well as disrupting shipping and travel in Earth’s orbit, but what are superstorms exactly? How big are they compared to other events in our solar system? What causes them to occur? How often do they happen? These questions and more will be answered below!
What are solar superstorms?
A solar superstorm is an intense solar storm that sends billions of tons of solar wind and magnetic fields into space. These events are a relatively rare but serious occurrence because they can disrupt communications, power grids, and satellites. You might be thinking, What’s so dangerous about a few billion tons of particles? Well, it turns out that these storms can cause auroras to appear near the equator! That’s right—auroras are typically only seen at high latitudes like Canada or Alaska. But when there’s a solar superstorm going on, you could see them as far south as Florida or Texas! It takes special conditions for this to happen though. For example, it has to be nighttime and winter for the Northern Hemisphere for this phenomenon. But sometimes we do get lucky. In September 1859 people in Rome saw an aurora which was visible even during daylight hours.
What causes solar superstorms?
Solar superstorms are caused by explosions that take place on the surface of the sun. These explosions eject streams of solar material and radiation into space, which then interact with Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere. This can result in dramatic displays of auroras, as well as disruptions to satellites and power grids, at times. So far, scientists have observed three such events: one in 1859 known as the Carrington event, one in 1989 called the Quebec storm, and one not long ago in 2012 called the SEP storm. It is unknown when another solar superstorm will happen. However, there is a lot of interest in predicting these events. One proposed method relies on monitoring changes in the way electrons move around inside our planet’s magnetosphere; this method may help us forecast a new solar storm sooner than any other forecasting methods currently do. There is still much more research needed before we fully understand how these storms occur, but it seems likely that we’ll be able to predict them better soon.
Are solar superstorms dangerous to Earth?
The biggest threat from solar storms is to satellites and power grids. If a storm occurred at the same time as a geomagnetic storm, it could cause some serious problems for these systems. As more satellites are put up and power grids become more reliant on solar energy, this problem is only going to get worse. It’s estimated that we have between 12-18 months until these two types of storms happen simultaneously. One solution would be to build superconductor wires which can withstand an EMP or a lightning strike. These wires could provide electricity to power grids when they go down. Another idea is to develop a space shield made out of plasma shields that would divert harmful radiation away from Earth. For now, all we can do is hope that when the next solar event happens, there won’t be any major consequences for our planet!
Is our power grid vulnerable?
The good news is that the Earth’s magnetosphere shields us from most of these solar storms. But our power grid is more vulnerable than we thought. When a storm hits, it can cause blackouts, which can have cascading effects throughout society as people try to return to normal life.
This is why scientists are working to predict when these superstorms will hit, so they can give us enough time to prepare for them. If we don’t prepare, then there may be another blackout like what happened in 2003. Scientists know how much energy was stored up before this event and how long it took to release all of that energy. Now researchers are trying to figure out if the same amount of energy could build up again before an event strikes. They’re also trying to find out if certain conditions – such as extreme weather – might create an electrical field strong enough to trigger a future event by itself.
Will solar superstorm cause global destruction?
Solar superstorms are some of the most destructive events to ever occur in our solar system. They happen when a coronal mass ejection from the sun collides with Earth, which can cause global destruction. In 1859, one such event caused a solar storm that knocked out telegraph systems and threw sparks from arc lamps. On March 13th, 1989, a similar event occurred that blacked out parts of Canada and created auroras as far south as Texas. Some scientists believe we may be overdue for another massive superstorm and it could be up to 10 times more powerful than the Carrington Event in 1859. One day a solar storm will hit Earth and it will be unlike anything we’ve seen before. We need to make preparations now so we don’t have to worry about survival. Solar storms are not something to take lightly and should be taken seriously. A super solar flare is just waiting to happen if you ask me, so I’m stocking up on canned goods and candles while I still can!
Most recent case study – 1859 Carrington Event
On September 1, 1859, a solar storm of unimaginable proportions struck Earth. It was seen as far south as Santiago, Chile and as far north as Vancouver Island. Telegraph systems across North America and Europe went haywire. Northern lights were seen as far south as Cuba and Hawaii. And auroras were seen all over the world–from New York City to Baghdad, Iraq! Auroras had never been seen that far south before, so people thought the world was coming to an end! In reality, it only took about 10 hours for these effects to reach Earth after they first occurred near the sun. That’s because Earth is relatively close to the Sun (compared with other planets) and also because Earth’s magnetic field lines are directed up out of our planet into space. If we didn’t have a strong magnetic field or if our field lines were oriented differently, then we would have had much more severe effects from this event.
