« on: July 20, 2022, 05:11:08 PM »
if it fries us all, been good to know ya.
Nemo
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/a-solar-storm-is-coming-should-we-be-worried/ar-AAZN2P8A solar storm is coming. Should we be worried?
Clare Roth, Alexander Freund, Deutsche Welle - 5h ago
Is the upcoming solar storm going to wipe out our internet infrastructure?Earth is set to experience a solar storm on Thursday and Friday, a week after undergoing what some scientists have dubbed a "sun burp" -- also known as a "coronal mass ejection."
If you live close to the northern or southern hemispheres, you might be able to see the northern lights sometime over the next two days, and the Earth could experience some minor geomagnetic effects.
The intensity of solar storms are classified into five levels by the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): G1-G5. The G stands for the geomagnetic effects triggered by the plasma cloud. Level 5 corresponds to a very strong effect, while level 1 corresponds to a "minor" effect.
The current solar storm is classified as G1, according to the NOAA. Most will hardly notice -- only a few will register it as a luminous natural spectacle.
In other words, the world isn't going to end anytime soon, even if some news reports make it sound that way. Every now and then a solar storm rushes to Earth, prompting a barrage of articles warning about potential disruption of the global power supply and phone and satellite communication.
These claims can be overhyped. But it would be a mistake to fully dismiss them as mere alarmism.
Peak in 2025
The sun is on 11-year solar cycles. The current one will peak in 2025, scientists say, by which time flares will be more intense and extreme.
This could be cause for some concern. Our existing internet communication structure is vulnerable to violent solar storms, according to a 2021 University of California-Irvine study.
According to author Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi, if a particularly strong solar storm crashed into the Earth, it would have the power to not only disrupt power grids and satellites, but also to paralyze the internet long term. She said our internet infrastructure is not designed to withstand severe solar storms.
Communication via unprotected satellites (like GPS navigation systems) and undersea cable repeaters, which are installed every 50 to 150 kilometers to amplify communication signals over long connection routes, is especially vulnerable. A very strong electromagnetic interference could completely paralyze the sensitive system.
Logged
If you need a second magazine, its time to call in air support.
God created Man, Col. Sam Colt made him equal, John Moses Browning turned equality to perfection, Gaston Glock turned perfection into plastic fantastic junk.
