A geomagnetic space storm courtesy of a solar eruption could wreak havoc to gadget addicted geeks (like us) across the world. Well, according to the experts that is.
Modern society is increasingly vulnerable to space weather because of our dependence on satellite systems for synchronizing computers, airline navigation, telecommunications networks and other electronic devices.
A potent solar storm could disrupt these technologies, scorch satellites, crash stock markets and cause power outages that last weeks or months, experts said Saturday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual meeting.
The situation is tipped to be getting worse because the solar cycle is heading into a period of more intense activity in the coming 11 years.
“This is not a matter of if, it is simply a matter of when and how big,” said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator Jane Lubchenco.
“The last time we had a maximum in the solar cycle, about 10 years ago, the world was a very different place. Cell phones are now ubiquitous; they were certainly around (before) but we didn’t rely on them for so many different things,” she said.
“Many things that we take for granted today are so much more prone to the process of space weather than was the case in the last solar maximum.”
The experts admitted that currently, little that can be done to predict such a storm, much less shield the world’s electrical grid by doing anything other shutting off power to some of the vulnerable areas until the danger passes.
The root of the world’s vulnerability in the modern age is global positioning systems, or GPS devices, that provide navigational help but also serve as time synchronizers for computer networks and electronic equipment, he said.
“GPS helped and created a new dependency,” said Lechner, noting that the technology’s influence extends to aerospace and defense, digital broadcast, financial services and government agencies.
On Tuesday at 0156 GMT, a huge solar eruption, the strongest in about five years, sent a torrent of charged plasma particles hurtling toward the Earth at a speed of 560 miles (900 kilometers) per second.
The force of the Class X flash, the most powerful of all solar events, lit up auroras and disrupted some radio communications, but the effects were largely confined to the northern latitudes.
“Actually it turned out that we were well protected this time. The magnetic fields were aligned parallel so not much happened,” said Luntama.
“In another case things might have been different.”
Space storms are not new. The first major solar flare was recorded by British astronomer Richard Carrington in 1859.
Interesting indeed, what do you think another end of the world prophecy that we can ignore or is this something we should be more concerned about?
(via @YahooNews)
