Britain could face widespread power blackouts and be left without critical communication signals, after the earth is hit by a once-in-a-generation “space storm”, Nasa has warned - Telegraph March 2012
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(Solar Flare - Image: Nasa)
Solar Storms - The Threat to Planet Earth
Horizon, BBC2, Tuesday 6th March, 9pm
This year we have a new sort of weather to worry about: and it comes from our nearest star. Scientists are expecting a fit of violent activity on the sun which will propel billions of tonnes of superheated gas and pulses of energy towards our planet - a coronal mass ejection. These ejections will unleash a shockwave of energy, a 'solar storm', into the earth at speeds of over a million miles per hour. Fortunately we won't feel it ourselves, but the earth's magnetic field will. The result could be both beautiful and chaotic.
A severe solar storm can create havoc by damaging communications systems such as those used in air traffic control and the emergency services, and even everyday electronic devices like computers and mobile phones. On March 13, 1989 a severe solar storm caused the collapse of the Hydro-Québec power grid. Six million people were left without power for nine hours. But all was not lost - one of the planets most spectacular displays, the aurora borealis, was witnessed as far south as Texas.
Usually this light spectacle is restricted to polar regions, stimulated by frequent low level 'solar winds' that hit the Earth on a daily basis. As the electrons from the sun bombard the earth's upper atmosphere, they strike atoms of nitrogen and oxygen and in the process emit light - the aurora borealis, and aurora australis in the South.
The big solar storms that are predicted for 2012 will supercharge the auroras making them brighter and more colourful than ever. So when the TV fizzles out, and the world begins to collapse, don't despair. Grab a beer and sit back in awe to watch a light show that will make Vegas look like Blackpool!
While you wait for that, tune in to Horizon tonight and meet the space weathermen who are trying to predict what's coming our way.
- By Paul Williams
See some awesome auroras from space here.
See some awesome auroras from space here.
Horizon Produced and Directed by – Ben Fox Series Editor – Aidan Laverty
Solar Flares & Coronal Mass Ejections
This composite image demonstrates an intense Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) (SOHO/EIT/LASCO)
In this picture, the Sun's surface is quite dark. It shows coronal loops lofted over a solar active region. Glowing brightly in extreme ultraviolet light, the hot plasma entrained above the Sun along arching magnetic fields is cooling and raining back down on the solar surface. (Nasa)
The Storm Hits Earth
The arc of light heading towards the earth is a coronal mass ejection, which impacts the earth's magnetic field (shown in purple), causing magnetic storms (USGS)
Aurora Australis south of Australia as seen from the international space station (Nasa)
