Internet apocalypse coming? Here’s how terrifying solar storms can impact Earth

Can solar storms spark an 'internet apocalypse'? Here’s how it can happen.

Internet apocalypse may come sooner than expected! (NASA)

Have you ever imagined how our lives would be without the internet or phone network? Even imagining an internet apocalypse is scary! A life without internet would be like life back in the Roman age - cruel and short! No internet, no phone calls, no emergency services, no way to run the mammoth Infrastructure that has been created from electricity grids to hospitals, industries, and more. In the 21st century, we rely heavily on electronics and there would be no easy life possible without the internet. Imagine spending COVID-19 lockdown days without the internet!

But can the internet apocalypse really happen? Yes! It surely can, but there is no official statement or warning from NASA or any other organization. But scientists have carried out in-depth research based on data provided by the latest technological assets that humanity has on Earth as well as space.

Internet apocalypse can be caused by a really powerful solar storm hitting the Earth. It almost happened in 2012 when a solar storm came really close to the Earth. Fortunately, it missed.

What will cause the internet apocalypse? The Sun. Our star is extremely volatile and it keeps shooting off massive amounts of energy out into space. These are in the form solar storms (solar flares, CME, solar wind). The Sun is currently in its 11-year cycle and it is moving towards the Solar Maximum, which can be in 2024 or 2025. Many believe that our interconnected virtual world is not ready for a really powerful solar storm on the lines of the 1859 Carrington event, which caused even telegraph equipment to spontaneously catch fire. In 1989, another solar storm knocked out the Quebec power grid for hours

During solar maximum, a severe solar storm can occur in a single day which can be a threat to our satellites and can disrupt radio signals, internet and can cause a power blackout.

In the past there have been a few rare events where solar storms have hit and what the consequences were.

Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi, a researcher at the University of California, Irvine, has pointed out that the undersea cables that carry most of our Internet traffic are susceptible to solar storms. If these are knocked out, it will take months to repair them. It will cause a global catastrophe.