Solar storms can create beautiful auroras on Earth. But they also pose a real threat to man-made technology.
Darmstadt – Solar storms have little or nothing to do with the weather on our planet – at least if you use the word storm as a guide. This is not a movement of air, but of high-energy particles and a massive cloud of plasma moving towards Earth from the Sun. On the one hand, this can result in the beautiful and fascinating phenomenon of the northern lights, but under certain circumstances it can also massively disrupt the digital infrastructure on and around the earth.
Solar storms pose no danger to Earth itself. Our planet is not damaged when one hits it. For electronic technology, however, a solar storm can become a real problem. For example, Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX, which recently launched numerous Internet satellites into space, recently lost around 40 of its satellites as a result of a solar storm.
How do solar storms form in space and what dangers do they pose?
Eruptions on the sun can cause a solar storm. The European Space Agency (ESA) explains that high-energy particles and plasma with a dimension of billions of tons are thrown into space. Within a short space of time, these can then move towards Earth, which is 150 million kilometers away. The Earth itself is well protected by its magnetic field and atmosphere. But not everything can be shielded. As mentioned at the beginning, satellites can be destroyed and power grids or communication and navigation systems can also collapse as a result.
“It is possible at any time that a very extreme solar storm occurs and it can have far-reaching consequences,” says Melanie Heil, coordinator of the space weather mission at the ESA location in Darmstadt. From there, the observation of solar storms by European astronauts is controlled. It is not “super likely” that all satellites will be destroyed at the same time, but some could be hit.
In order to be able to guarantee protection for the power grids on earth, advance warning is needed, explains Heil. With the appropriate advance information, the capacities in generators and transformers could be regulated down, which could protect them from damage. However, an event of the century is very difficult to predict. “The latest calculations say that we can expect an extreme space weather event in the next ten years with a probability of around ten percent,” says Heil.
Space: Solar storms can only be predicted to a limited extent with enough advance notice
Due to the fact that the sun particles move through the solar system at such a rapid speed, the warning time is correspondingly short. “If we weren’t able to observe something like this, we would be vulnerable at any time,” explains Heil. There are already certain observation points that provide data, but the capacities are still being greatly expanded in order to be able to make more reliable predictions.
ESA was surprised that SpaceX’s satellites suffered so much damage. “It wasn’t actually a particularly strong solar storm, which is why no official warning was issued,” says Heil. The US company’s satellites were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The atmosphere had become so dense as a result of the storm that the orbiters at an altitude of 200 kilometers could not reach their target point, which was actually 300 kilometers higher, under their own power and will now burn up.
Space: The “Vigil” solar probe should provide better data on possible solar storms
“The Vigil mission, due to its location in space, will be able to get a keen look at potentially dangerous solar activity,” explains ESA mission leader Giuseppe Mandorlo. The data from the probe, named “Vigil”, should provide a better view of solar storms. It is a mission that, according to Heil, will start as early as 2027. Unlike before, a side view of the sun should be possible through them – unlike before. Storms should be easier to follow.
How often do solar storms occur in space?
Even if solar storms are difficult to predict in individual cases, their frequency can be estimated somewhat. According to NASA, the Sun is a “living, breathing” ball of gas that is constantly active. However, the activity is similar to natural processes on earth: cyclical or periodic. This means that, according to NASA, the frequency of geomagnetic storms waxes and wanes with the solar cycle. Geomagnetic storms occur more frequently during solar maximum. According to Heil, the sun has significantly more sunspots at maximum and these are possibly the source of solar storms. A cycle lasts eleven years.
Another event that scientists are researching with high pressure is the collision of two supermassive black holes, which will shake the fabric of space-time – at least according to the researchers’ estimates. Although this will not happen for many millennia, research still promises new and important insights. (mda with dpa) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
Picture list: © dpa / Solar Orbiter / EUI Team / ESA & NASA
