(International Business Times) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal agency that focuses on the condition of the oceans and atmosphere, said a severe solar storm could cause global disruptions in GPS systems, power grids, satellite communications, and airline communications.
With solar activity expected to peak around 2013, the Sun is entering a particularly active time and big flares like the recent one will likely be common during the next few years.
Most solar flares will only cause minor problems with satellites and power grids, but a major flare in the mid-19th century blocked the nascent telegraph system, and some scientists believe that another such event is now overdue.
In a huge solar storm back in 1859, telegraph offices worldwide were hit, some telegraph operators reported electric shocks, the telegraph systems malfunctioned and even paper caught fire. It’s the strongest solar storm on record — and is called the “Carrington Event” — which is named after Richard Carrington, who viewed and reported on the solar flare of Sept. 1, 1859. Now, flash forward: In 1989, six million people in Quebec, Canada were left without power for several hours when a solar storm took down a power grid.
According to a report by the National Research Council in 2008, a solar storm similar to the ones in the past could cause up to $2 trillion dollars in damage across the globe today.
The NOAA predicted four “extreme” solar emissions which could threaten the planet this decade. Similarly, NASA warned that 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.
Read the full article here:
This is one of the several articles that I read in the International Business Times on the upcoming solar storms. Unfortunately, one of the best articles has been removed from their website. 😉
While NOAA is calling for the storms to come in 2013, NASA is calling for the storms to peak in 2012. Here is a video of the CNN coverage of the NASA announcement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaDxwe8l3us&feature=related
The reason behind the predictions of these super solar storms is the fact that the Sun is entering the “thin line” of the (Milky Way) galaxy. The strong magnetic pull of the “line” puts great stress on the Sun, thus the stronger than usual storms or coronal mass ejections (CMEs). We just had three mid-level solar storms, and escaped without damages, except for communication problems in the Middle East. Scientists do not know when the next storm will come, how big it will be, whether it will hit Earth directly or just glance off, or miss us altogether.
While the news of the storms has been covered to a small degree, there is very little “out there” that really spells out the potential for a global catastrophy for people. It is truly a sad thing that our government is not warning people so that they may be prepared in the event that Earth does get hit with a solar superstorm.
Should the electrical grids go out, there may be weeks, months, or even years before electricity is restored – if it ever is. In some reports, predictions are calling for civilization to return to the horse and buggy days. If we think about it, the implications are staggering. Without electricity, we lose the stated – communications, GPS, etc.
Those things are minor when one considers the rest of the scenario. There will be no electricity to pump fuel. That means the transportation systems will shut down. No food, no supplies, no emergency services, etc. With no fuel, farmers will not be able to plant or harvest crops. With no electricity, water pumps will not run and sewage plants will not be able to operate. Even more importantly, electricity is required to keep the cooling systems running for nuclear power plants. Fukushima taught us that lesson. The world has hundreds of nuclear power plants. It is a very sobering thought.
While we all hope that nothing of this magnitude will ever come to pass, it is something that we all must give consideration to. Could we plan and prepare for something of this magnitude? Shouldn’t our government be making those preparations now and advising all of us to do the same?
To add to the severity of the damages of a super solar storm, the Earth has holes in her ionosphere – several of them, mostly around the equator. Those holes would allow solar radiation to come into our atmosphere.
And, while we are putting the cards on the table here, we might as well throw in the return of Nibiru. For those who do not know, Nibiru is a planet about the size of Jupiter whose orbit takes it very close to Earth every 3600 years or so. Nibiru is due to return to our neighborhood in 2012. There are those who do not believe in Nibiru. Our government obviously does, as it has an observation station set up in Antarctica to keep an eye on it. The ancient Sumerians wrote about Nibiru. People in the very southern-most part of the globe have taken photos of it recently.
It is an interesting Time to be alive. It is definitely NOT a Time to have our heads in the sand. We all have to live by our Hearts, make the choices we feel are right, bless those who differ with us in opinion with Love, and hope for the best. Obviously it is Time for some serious changes. Perhaps this is the Universe’s way of giving them to us.
Blessings to you all.
This a great reminder that we are part of a vast universe ~ Planet earth is certainly influenced and affected by the mysterious cosmic family in which we exist ~
Thanks for the comment, Coralina! 😉 We are, indeed, a part of a vast Universe, and this is a reminder that humanity is a PART of it and not the most important part, either – despite the thoughts of some of the population. 😉
I know that information of this nature makes some people uneasy, or they simply see it as doomsday “stuff” and pay little attention to it. However, I feel that to gain knowledge is to gain Empowerment. When one is Empowered with knowledge, then one can make an informed choice as to how he/she will live Life. We may not be able to control how we are affected by the movements of the Universe, but we can choose how we interact with whatever they bring to our lives.