From Reuters :
Three large explosions from the Sun over the past few days have prompted U.S. government scientists to caution users of satellite, telecommunications and electric equipment to prepare for possible disruptions over the next few days.”The magnetic storm that is soon to develop probably will be in the moderate to strong level,” said Joseph Kunches, a space weather scientist at the Space Weather Prediction Center, a division of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
And we care, because…?
In 1989, a solar storm took down the power grid in Quebec, Canada, leaving about six million people without power for several hours.
We always wondered what caused that….. they used to imply that it was some flaw in the grid… it was said that certain parts were less able to deal with some vague fluctuation…. And now we know!
Read the Reuters story to find out what happened in 1859….
Power grid managers receive alerts from the Space Weather Prediction Center to tell them to prepare for solar events, which peak about every 12 years, Tom Bogdan, director of the center said.
He said the next peak, called a solar maximum, was expected in 2013.
International Business Times tells us:
… a peak in the sun’s magnetic energy cycle and the number of sun spots or flares around 2013 could enable extremely high radiation levels.
… This type of storm could also induce geomagnetic currents that could debilitate transformers on the power grid. Electric power would be out for years or even decades.Â
Nuclear plants would also be negatively affected…
So dream on, you problem-prognosticators! Will the Seas stop rising? Will the Earth heal?
Will we even Notice a change?
'Splodieheads 