The sun, a massive nuclear reaction hurtling through space, is incredibly active. And when it goes through periods of heightened activity, it emits more heat, radiation, and even plasma – superheated matter that can disrupt Earth’s magnetic field and wreak havoc on electronics.
This solar activity, known as Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), poses a significant threat to our fragile and expensive electronic infrastructures, including the internet. Professor Peter Becker of George Mason University recently warned that as we enter a more active phase of the sun, there is a real risk of the internet going down.
“The internet has come of age during a time when the sun has been relatively quiet, and now it’s entering a more active time,” Professor Becker explained in an interview with FOX Weather. “It’s the first time in human history that there’s been an intersection of increased solar activity with our dependence on the internet and our global economic dependence on the internet.”
Solar flares and the subsequent coronal mass ejections can disrupt electronics. While we can observe the flash of solar flares, predicting the direction of a coronal mass ejection heading towards Earth gives us approximately 18 to 24 hours of warning. However, even electronics we assume to be safe can be affected.
“People often think their grounded computers are safe,” Professor Becker cautioned. “But in an event like this, if you drive inductive currents to the surface of the Earth, it can almost work backwards, and you can end up actually frying things that you thought were relatively safe.”
To illustrate how dangerous this phenomenon can be, Professor Becker recounted an event from 1859 when a similar solar storm damaged telegraph wires and electrocuted operators. The magnetic field variations were so strong that the wires carried high voltage, causing sparks to fly and wreaking havoc. Today, with our delicate electronic systems, the potential damage from such an event could last for weeks or even months.
“If you imagine laying that on top of the internet with its very delicate electronics, you’re talking about something that could really fry the system for a period of several weeks to months in terms of the time it would take to repair all the infrastructure,” warned Professor Becker. “So we’re talking pretty major. And it’s not just communications. It’s economic disruption, too, obviously.”
However, Professor Becker also highlighted that proactive measures can be taken to mitigate the potential damage. With advance warning, actions can be taken to protect satellites and transformers from the harmful effects of a solar storm. In the long term, hardening the internet against such events would be necessary, although it poses an economic challenge due to the substantial cost involved.
While the risk of a solar storm causing widespread internet disruption is a concerning possibility, being aware and prepared can make all the difference in minimizing its impact.
