Solar storms are something people in the tech space surely fear. They occur when the sun is at its peak solar activity. The sun releases boiling hot plasma in the form of solar flares and winds.?
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These huge bursts release charged particles that are released from the sun¡¯s atmosphere straight into space. When Earth comes in contact with it, they produce vibrant auroras around regions in the northern hemisphere.?
However, these charged particles could also cause devastating interference with electronics, rendering them completely unusable. Experts have also hinted it could shut down global internet connectivity.
As of today, only three solar storm events have been recorded in history and they give us a glimpse into the kind of damage they¡¯re able to cause.?
The solar storm that occurred in 1859 is even today regarded as one of the strongest solar storms to be ever experienced. Observed first by Richard Carrington, the sun experienced the formation of various sunspots on August 28, 1859, which resulted in a CME, while some claim it resulted in two simultaneous CMEs.
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The flares were so powerful that when it hit Earth on September 1-2 of 1859, it destroyed Telegraph and electricity infrastructure in the US and Europe. People were shocked to see electrical discharges from wires and equipment, whereas many places were even set ablaze. This also caused massive auroras seen as far as the US, Japan, China and Australia.?
The storm of 1921 was caused at a time when the sun was actually in the declining cycle period of its solar activity.
The storm was very evident in New York City, which was a centre of telegraph activity as a railroad hub. People witnessed auroras throughout the eastern United States.?
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On May 14th, many reported that the Telegraph services came to a halt due to blown fuses and damaged hardware. Ionosphere involvement enhanced radio propagation enabling unusually good long-distance reception. What this didn¡¯t affect were the electric lights.
The 1989 event is the closest we¡¯ve come to in the modern era. On March 13, 1989, the Hydro-Qu¨¦bec power network in Canada went down due to geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) which were a result of a coronal mass ejection from the Sun on March 9, 1989.?
The currents destroyed a transformer and led to a general blackout that lasted more than 9 hours, affecting over 6 million people.?
According to NASA, in space, some satellites actually went out of control for several hours. NASA's TDRS-1 communication satellite recorded over 250 anomalies as high-energy particles affected the satellite's sensitive electronics. Even the Space Shuttle Discovery was having its own mysterious problems.
What¡¯s scarier is that in today¡¯s world, when we¡¯re so reliant on technology and the rarity of such solar occurrences, we don't know the kind of impact it can have in today's modern world, which makes it difficult for us to be prepared for what's in store for us.?
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