NASA has officially confirmed that for the next few years we will see a huge increase in solar storms directly from the Sun. These solar winds should start this year, and last well into the year 2012. What are the five possible effects of a solar storm?
After a team of experts met at the Space Weather Enterprise Forum in Washington DC, and discussed the effects of pending solar storm activity.This discussion focused more on the defense of our satellite and communication systems, and finding a way to monitor each new storm as it reaches Earth from the Sun.
Dr Fisher the current head of NASA's Heilophysics division was quoted to have said during this groundbreaking meeting, "We are taking this very seriously indeed.," and commented on how NASA are monitoring potential winds coming from the sun, with their own group of satellites- creating an early warning system of sorts. But he did add a series of experts are going to start coordinating a response to any impending storm activity.
Here are five possible effects of any solar storm attack from the Sun:
1. Satellite Attacks
Our planet has a ring of satellites that have been in space since the USA, and Russia started a space race in the early 1950's. Some of these satellites have now become "Space Junk," but others allow us to watch live televised events, call from our mobile phones, use a GPS systems, access the internet., and even travel by air.
Solar flares could damage or destroy these satellites, and adversely effect how we live on the ground. The same group of experts who met in Washington, discussed the urgent need to protect these satellites from the increased volatile storm winds from the Sun.
2. The Effect on Military Satellites
It has been no secret that some satellites floating above us in space are strictly for military use. We are unaware if these satellites are armed or not, but we know they are also used to help the military monitor countries on the ground. Could solar storms damage, destroy or cause some malfunction in these satellites?. It is a possibility, and we may wonder what damage this may bring.
3. A temporary age of power blackouts?
Solar storms can knock out and burn out electrical transformers that are essential to maintaining our power grids. Once knocked out or" fried" by the radiation from a storm, they have to be replaced in order to re-start our electrical systems. Depending on the velocity of the storm, electrical power could be knocked out for hours, days, weeks, months or in a worse case scenario- years.
4. Beautiful but cruel auroras
Once a solar storm hits earth an aurora, similar to the Northern and Southern lights will appear at night. This beautiful but cruel cosmic sound and light show is a prelude to our electrical grids being hit by radiation from the storm.
5. Air Disasters
Once a solar storm hits our atmosphere, anything electrical in space or in our own skies, could be adversely affected. Aircraft could lose their power, whilst GPS systems become distorted with the falling radiation. A mild storm may not affect us, but stronger storms could hit aircraft, satellites and space craft, leading to airspace becoming a no-fly zone.
We cannot attack a solar storm, just as we cannot attack strong winds or rains. Space weather is a fact of life, which we have to get used to, and just as we get forewarned about impending hurricanes, we do have a satellite called, "Ace," that forewarns us of any impending storm. Giving us time to prepare for the on-coming storm. Yet the only real defense against a storm, is to shut down our power grids, satellites and close down airspace until the storm passes.
What happens in the universe does affect what happens to us here on Earth. And for years the effects of solar flares have led to many doomsday movies and imaginative works of science fiction. Yet this is all speculative, as even our own experts freely admit - no one is really sure what the final results of these incoming storms will bring, except the fact storm season is ever closer.
After a team of experts met at the Space Weather Enterprise Forum in Washington DC, and discussed the effects of pending solar storm activity.This discussion focused more on the defense of our satellite and communication systems, and finding a way to monitor each new storm as it reaches Earth from the Sun.
Dr Fisher the current head of NASA's Heilophysics division was quoted to have said during this groundbreaking meeting, "We are taking this very seriously indeed.," and commented on how NASA are monitoring potential winds coming from the sun, with their own group of satellites- creating an early warning system of sorts. But he did add a series of experts are going to start coordinating a response to any impending storm activity.
Here are five possible effects of any solar storm attack from the Sun:
1. Satellite Attacks
Our planet has a ring of satellites that have been in space since the USA, and Russia started a space race in the early 1950's. Some of these satellites have now become "Space Junk," but others allow us to watch live televised events, call from our mobile phones, use a GPS systems, access the internet., and even travel by air.
Solar flares could damage or destroy these satellites, and adversely effect how we live on the ground. The same group of experts who met in Washington, discussed the urgent need to protect these satellites from the increased volatile storm winds from the Sun.
2. The Effect on Military Satellites
It has been no secret that some satellites floating above us in space are strictly for military use. We are unaware if these satellites are armed or not, but we know they are also used to help the military monitor countries on the ground. Could solar storms damage, destroy or cause some malfunction in these satellites?. It is a possibility, and we may wonder what damage this may bring.
3. A temporary age of power blackouts?
Solar storms can knock out and burn out electrical transformers that are essential to maintaining our power grids. Once knocked out or" fried" by the radiation from a storm, they have to be replaced in order to re-start our electrical systems. Depending on the velocity of the storm, electrical power could be knocked out for hours, days, weeks, months or in a worse case scenario- years.
4. Beautiful but cruel auroras
Once a solar storm hits earth an aurora, similar to the Northern and Southern lights will appear at night. This beautiful but cruel cosmic sound and light show is a prelude to our electrical grids being hit by radiation from the storm.
5. Air Disasters
Once a solar storm hits our atmosphere, anything electrical in space or in our own skies, could be adversely affected. Aircraft could lose their power, whilst GPS systems become distorted with the falling radiation. A mild storm may not affect us, but stronger storms could hit aircraft, satellites and space craft, leading to airspace becoming a no-fly zone.
We cannot attack a solar storm, just as we cannot attack strong winds or rains. Space weather is a fact of life, which we have to get used to, and just as we get forewarned about impending hurricanes, we do have a satellite called, "Ace," that forewarns us of any impending storm. Giving us time to prepare for the on-coming storm. Yet the only real defense against a storm, is to shut down our power grids, satellites and close down airspace until the storm passes.
What happens in the universe does affect what happens to us here on Earth. And for years the effects of solar flares have led to many doomsday movies and imaginative works of science fiction. Yet this is all speculative, as even our own experts freely admit - no one is really sure what the final results of these incoming storms will bring, except the fact storm season is ever closer.
