O United States Space Weather Prediction Center issued a warning about what is defined as the biggest solar storm in two decades. The effects are expected to be interference and interruptions in electrical services and GPS networks, in addition to geomagnetic storm conditions during the weekend.
The solar storm is called, according to scientific terms, a geomagnetic mass ejection and the alert level announced by the center has risen to G4, the second highest on the scale.
Several moderate to strong solar flares have been produced by a large sunspot cluster since last Wednesday (8). Five rashes were associated with coronal mass ejections towards Earth, according to information from the center.
What is a geomagnetic storm?
A geomagnetic storm occurs when solar winds penetrate the space environment around Earth. With eruptions on the surface of the Sun, particles are projected towards the planet, causing so-called magnetic storms, which cause northern lights, for example. However, if the intensity is higher, it is possible that telecommunications will be interrupted.
Such predictions are made through monitoring, capable of anticipating how much storms or solar flares are coming towards planet Earth and how powerful they are.
Peter Becker, researcher at George Manson University in the United States, there is a 10% chance that something really big will happen and wipe out the internet. The reason would be that the current solar cycle can increase and reach the peak in 2024.
The alert, he points out, could be one of the factors used to “mitigate the problem”. “In the long term, we are talking about a fortification of the internet, which is an economic challenge, and the project would act as an insurance policy. You may never need it, and it would cost trillions to really strengthen the system.”
Tags: Solar storm biggest eruption years paralyze GPS Friday understand Science
