ABOUT SOLAR STORM
A solar storm or a Coronal Mass Ejection as astronomers call it is an ejection of highly magnetized particles from the sun. These particles can travel several million km per hour and can take about 13 hours to five days to reach Earth. But the particles can interact with our Earth’s magnetic field, induce strong electric currents on the surface and affect man-made structures.
SOLAR FLARE
A solar flare is an intense localized eruption of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun’s atmosphere. Flares occur in active regions and are often, but not always, accompanied by coronal mass ejections, solar particle events, and other solar phenomena.
Solar flares occur in a power-law spectrum of magnitudes; an energy release of typically 1020 joules of energy suffices to produce a clearly observable event, while a major event can emit up to 1025 joules.
Flares produce electromagnetic radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum at all wavelengths, from radio waves to gamma rays.
Flares are powered by the sudden release of magnetic energy stored in the corona. The same energy releases may produce coronal mass ejections (CMEs), although the relationship between CMEs and flares is still not well understood.
HISTORY OF SOLAR STORMS
The first recorded solar storm occurred in 1859 and it reached Earth in about 17 hours. It affected the telegraph network and many operators experienced electric shocks.
A solar storm that occurred in 1921 impacted New York telegraph and railroad systems and another small-scale storm collapsed the power grid in Quebec, Canada in 1989.
CONCERN
The Sun has an 11-year cycle, with periods of high and low activity. It also has a longer cycle of 100 years.
It was a low time throughout the last three decades, while the internet infrastructure was booming. And we are rapidly approaching the peaks of the 100-year cycle, whether in this cycle or the next.
