Earth Narrowly Escaped Debilitating Solar Blast
- 10 years ago
On July 23, 2012, Earth narrowly escaped a solar blast that could have knocked out power grids and disabled satellites and GPS.
On July 23, 2012, Earth narrowly escaped a solar blast that could have knocked out power grids and disabled satellites and GPS.
Had the solar eruptions occurred 9 days earlier, their impact would have been felt.
That news was announced recently by scientists from the University of California, Berkeley.
According to their report, the averted blast was likely equal to the one that hit in 1859.
Eyewitness accounts of the mid-19th century hit describe night being as bright as day and a sky filled with brightly colored flashes.
Telegraphic service was adversely affected beyond control.
The fallout of the 2012 event would have been far worse because of our dependence upon vulnerable technologies.
Magnetic surges could well have wiped out communications, power, and navigational abilities for large crafts in the air and at sea.
The financial tally of the damages likely to have been rendered was estimated at 2.6 trillion dollars.
Recovery time after such an event is said to be between 4 and 10 years.
Researchers say that the near miss is a reminder of how little is known about solar blasts, and how crucial a better understanding of them is.
On July 23, 2012, Earth narrowly escaped a solar blast that could have knocked out power grids and disabled satellites and GPS.
Had the solar eruptions occurred 9 days earlier, their impact would have been felt.
That news was announced recently by scientists from the University of California, Berkeley.
According to their report, the averted blast was likely equal to the one that hit in 1859.
Eyewitness accounts of the mid-19th century hit describe night being as bright as day and a sky filled with brightly colored flashes.
Telegraphic service was adversely affected beyond control.
The fallout of the 2012 event would have been far worse because of our dependence upon vulnerable technologies.
Magnetic surges could well have wiped out communications, power, and navigational abilities for large crafts in the air and at sea.
The financial tally of the damages likely to have been rendered was estimated at 2.6 trillion dollars.
Recovery time after such an event is said to be between 4 and 10 years.
Researchers say that the near miss is a reminder of how little is known about solar blasts, and how crucial a better understanding of them is.