NASA Issues Warning – Blackouts Incoming
(UnitedReader.com) – The Sun goes through a cycle about every 11 years, after which its magnetic field changes. When this happens, it can emit bursts of energy that sometimes hit Earth’s atmosphere. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is warning that this cycle’s solar storms could impact the world’s power grids and communication networks. As if the world wasn’t already having enough problems.
NASA warns the electric grid faces serious risk from geomagnetic storms with sun at peak cycle https://t.co/HHEcEcq7bW
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 3, 2022
NASA explained the Sun goes through periods of calm and violent storms, alternating between the two. Of course, while our solar system’s star is calm, everything is good. But once the storms hit, certain electrical systems are at risk. The Space Weather Prediction Center shows the Sun has significantly more sunspots, indicators of activity than scientists had predicted.
The bright ball in the sky isn’t only more active than experts predicted, but it also hasn’t yet reached its peak levels. The Sun will become increasingly more active until its magnetic shift in 2025. NASA noted that with the increase there will likely be more solar phenomena such as storms and eruptions. The more activity, the higher the risk to communications, the power grid, astronauts, spacecraft, and navigation signals.
Huge solar eruptions called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) will likely become more frequent as we approach the peak of the Sun’s 11-year activity cycle – called solar maximum – in 2025.
This video shows several CMEs soon after the last solar maximum.https://t.co/SWedOm7Uh9 pic.twitter.com/vf3MsSq0nz
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) July 30, 2022
In 1989, the sun ejected a wave of energy larger than 36 Earths toward the planet. Just two days later, a geomagnetic storm negatively impacted the power grid in North America and Europe after destroying a transformer at a nuclear power plant in New Jersey. The same storm also completely crashed Canada’s Hydro-Quebec power grid.
Could the world be facing a similar series of events in the foreseeable future?
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