Geomagnetic storm

A geomagnetic storm occurs when a large amount of charged particles from the Sun's atmosphere interacts with Earth and causes a disruption in the planet's magnetic field. These particles are known as the solar wind and are constantly being ejected from the Sun. During times of heightened solar activity, the Sun can emit bursts of charged particles and gas that could disrupt radio communications and cause increased aurora activity on Earth. Large solar storms could have a devastating effect if they were to hit the planet, causing trillions of dollars in damage that could take years to repair. Scientists say Earth had a close call with such an event in 2012, escaping a hit from a massive solar storm by just a week.

Background

The Sun is like a giant nuclear furnace, churning out immense amounts of energy about ninety-three million miles away from Earth. The enormous heat generated by the Sun produces a large amount of rapidly moving charged particles, such as electrons and protons. These particles are ejected into space from the Sun's upper atmosphere, or corona. If the solar wind were to strike Earth's surface, it would cook the planet, likely destroying all life. Luckily, the earth is protected by a magnetic field that shields it and deflects the solar radiation up toward the poles and away from the planet.

As the electrons in the solar wind hit the upper atmosphere, they release energy in the form of light, resulting in aurora displays known as the northern or southern lights. Since this interaction occurs most frequently at the poles, auroras are usually observed at higher latitudes. The particles in the solar wind can also cause fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field, which can be observed in the swinging needle of a compass.

While the Sun is continually emitting the solar wind, the level of activity is not constant. Solar weather phenomenon, such as flares and coronal mass ejections, sometimes expel large amounts of charged particles and gas into space. Periods of such activity run in cycles, with the Sun reaching its solar maximum, or active peak, every eleven years. During solar maximum, the number of solar flares and coronal mass ejections increases.

X-ray and ultraviolet radiation from such events would travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in eight minutes. The particles and gas emitted by solar flares and coronal mass ejections take a bit longer but can reach velocities of up to five hundred or six hundred miles a second. At these speeds, it could take between fifteen and forty-five minutes to reach Earth. If the planet were in the path of a geomagnetic storm, the fast-moving charged particles would slam into the magnetic field, releasing a burst of energy that could short out electronic components and wiring. Relatively calm solar storms can cause stunning aurora displays extending much further south than normal. They can also result in disturbances that interfere with radio, cell phone, and satellite communications. More intense storms can knock out power over a wide area and destroy electronic equipment.

Impact

The largest geomagnetic storm to affect the earth in recorded history occurred on September 1, 1859. It was called the Carrington Event, named after British astronomer Richard Carrington. While observing the Sun, Carrington noticed a number of sunspots on the surface. Sunspots are relatively cooler areas on the Sun that act as caps for the more powerful energy below and are often associated with solar flares. As Carrington watched, the sunspots erupted into intense flares of white light before subsiding. Hours later, telegraph systems in Europe and North America began to fail, and the skies across the Northern Hemisphere burst into colorful displays of light. The geomagnetic storm reportedly caused some telegraph machines to emit a shower of sparks and melted components in others. The northern lights were seen as far south as Cuba and were so intense that some people thought the Sun had risen early, while others thought neighboring towns were on fire. By observing changes in ice core samples, modern scientists also determined the Carrington Event had damaged the earth's protective ozone layer.

Telegraph technology was only a few years old when the Carrington Event occurred. If a similar event were to happen in the modern era, scientists say the results could be catastrophic. In March 1989, a large solar explosion sent billions of tons of gas and charged particles toward Earth, disabling satellites in orbit and nearly causing power plants in eastern North America to fail. In Quebec, Canada, the geomagnetic storm shorted out the power grid, resulting in a twelve-hour blackout that affected millions of people.

Scientists say the earth barely missed a catastrophic geomagnetic storm in 2012, when two coronal mass ejections emitted clouds of charged particles and gas that could have rivaled the power of the Carrington Event. The path of the clouds passed through Earth's orbit but missed the planet by only a week. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said that if the storm had hit the earth, it could have caused widespread power blackouts and destroyed any electrical device plugged into a wall socket. Satellite and Internet communication would have been crippled, and modern society would have ground to a halt. Total damage estimates from such an event could top $2 trillion, and repairing the power grid and restoring some services could take years to complete. In February 2022, a geomagnetic storm caused thirty-eight of forty-nine newly launched Starlink satellites to fail in orbit and fall back to Earth. The satellites, which were launched by the private space company SpaceX, were supposed to maintain a low-Earth orbit, a position that makes them especially vulnerable to solar storms. The total cost of the lost satellites was estimated at about $50 million.

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