JUST A BLAST ON THE SUN ???
NASA says "We would have 30 minutes before the solar storm hits the Earth"
By : Hassan Zubair
Solar storms also known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), can have a range of effects on Earth and its surrounding environment. Below are the most catastrophic effects of solar storms:
Disruption of satellite communication: Solar storms can cause interference with satellite and radio communication systems, GPS signals, and other forms of wireless communication. This can result in service outages and disruption to global navigation systems.
Power grid disruptions: Solar storms can cause fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field, which can induce electrical currents in power lines and transformers, potentially leading to power outages and damage to electrical infrastructure.
Auroras: One of the most beautiful effects of solar storms is auroras, also known as the Northern and Southern Lights. These colourful displays of light in the sky are caused by charged particles from the Sun colliding with Earth’s atmosphere.
Radiation Exposure: Solar storms can also increase the amount of ionising radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface, which can harm humans and animals if exposure levels are high enough.
Impact on Aviation: Solar storms can affect high-altitude flights by disturbing communication and navigation systems and exposing passengers and crew to increased levels of radiation.
We have been victims of solar storms in the past. The effects of Solar storms have been catastrophic. However, our history with these storms has taught the scientists at NASA to develop certain AI models which collect data and create a warning system. Scientists have been gathering data via satellites like ACE, Wind, IMP-8 and Geotail. To train deep learning models they have been also collecting data from surface data stations.
Since light travels faster than the solar material ejected into space it has become much more likely to anticipate the level of its severity. The struggle with timeliness was arithmetically so challenging that the storm could hit anywhere on Earth. Almost 35 years ago a solar storm impacted Quebec and caused a complete power outage. A more extreme event, also known as Carrington Event, was 150 years ago which today would have wiped out every electric and communication infrastructure. Even though scientists have been inventing new ways to explore space, we still have a lot to see and learn from.
This never-ending learning process made scientists at NASA create AI models which can predict the outcome of solar storms in a minute. They call that algorithmic model DAGGER. It is quite impressive compared to the existing predictive algorithms. This algorithmic model can give the planet approximately 30 minutes before a devastating solar storm hits a particular area. Since knowing about it is only one part of the battle.Whereas before we only came to know about it a couple of minutes prior to the event.
The Sun has an 11-year solar cycle. That cycle will end in the year 2025. This allows this model to integrate the threat assessment before a devastating storm hits the Earth. With the help of data collected by satellites and surface stations, people will know much faster about its occurrence than they have before.
For more visit National Weather Service Site : https://www.weather.gov/safety/space-storm-types