Until now, it was believed that humans would have at least 17 hours or more of warning time to prepare for a destructive solar storm. Now, it looks like a solar storm will hit without any warning.
We have read or heard about an increase in solar activity over the past few months. NASA reported a solar high-mass launch (CME) in early 2022. Space weather forecasts are expected to give us a day or two of warning in advance to prepare for it. impending solar storm. However, recent research shows that some large solar storms can occur without any warning, New Scientist reports. And this could have tragic consequences for the Earth.
Earth has been subjected to a constant stream of solar winds, charged particles coming from the sun. Currently, they have caused colorful displays in the form of aurora borealis. However, if the sun spews out more matter at a faster rate, it could have tragic consequences for humanity on Earth. The reason is that massive solar storms provide enough energy to knock down power grids across the planet, the Internet, and even satellites. Since all human activities are centered on electricity and the Internet, the demise of these will send humanity back to the stone age and all emergency response facilities, like hospitals, will unable to function properly or completely.
However, until now it was believed that the solar storm would take a long time to reach Earth and astronomers would know it was coming. This will give us enough time to take evasive actions such as shutting down satellites, securing the Internet and power grids and thereby saving them from destruction. But now it is said that a solar storm can hit Earth without warning, which increases the likelihood of a major tragedy.
What is Coronal Mass Ejection?
According to NASA, the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, is structured by a strong magnetic field, often located above sunspot groups. The violent release of gas bubbles and magnetic fields is called coronal mass ejection. “A large CME that can hold a billion tons of matter can be accelerated to several million miles per hour in a spectacular explosion,” NASA said.
