When a horrific solar storm hits Earth, this is what the catastrophe will be made of
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Have you ever wondered, what would happen if a really terrifying and powerful solar storm was to hit Earth? Solar storms can wreak havoc on Earth. They are more dangerous than you might ever have imagined.
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A massive solar storm can destroy power grids thereby knocking out the electricity in your house. A solar storm can knock out electronics, including your mobile phone and Internet too. And yes, satellites too.
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Unfortunately, the damage in this solar storm catastrophe will not get fixed quickly, in fact, it will take months or even years of rebuilding to get back to something near normalcy. Humanity will regress to Dark Ages.
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Now, a Wall Street Journal report says that scientists are actively researching how to predict solar storms, with a growing consensus that artificial intelligence will play a crucial role in early detection.
The most dangerous type of solar storm is generated by coronal mass ejection (CME), which can induce large currents in Earth's power lines and damage the power distribution infrastructure.
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Solar storms can also affect undersea fiber-optic cables, potentially disabling internet connectivity. In fact, a report by researcher Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi said these undersea cables can cause an Internet apocalypse.
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Satellites, including those in geostationary orbit and low Earth orbit, face challenges during solar storms, and they can even crash back to Earth.
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The lack of a reliable warning system means we may have only a few hours, or even just 15 minutes, of notice before a devastating solar storm strikes.
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Efforts are underway to improve early warning systems, including ESA's proposal for Vigil satellite, positioned at the same distance from the Earth as the Earth is from the Sun in order to provide 5 hours warning.
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Scientists at the Frontier Development Lab along with NASA and others are using AI to analyze solar wind data and predict the impact of solar storms on Earth's magnetic field and infrastructure.
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Initiatives like the Inouye Solar Telescope and NASA's Parker Solar Probe are enhancing our ability to observe the Sun, while systems like DstLive aim to provide a single measure for solar storm intensity, helping with early prediction.
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Preparatory exercises are being conducted to simulate major solar storm scenarios and improve readiness for potential solar catastrophes.