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Big solar blast may hit Earth
« on: Oct 24th, 2003, 3:13pm » |
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Solar storm makes waves on Earth
By Marsha Walton
CNN
Friday, October 24, 2003 Posted: 4:02 PM EDT (2002 GMT)
(CNN) -- Airline navigation systems and satellite phones are feeling the effects of unusually tempestuous solar weather, which culminated Friday with the arrival of a geomagnetic storm in the Earth's upper atmosphere.
Scientists tracking heightened solar activity in recent days reported some commercial airlines have had to make adjustments to their high-frequency communications, or in some cases switch to alternate satellite systems.
"The first thing we notice in these storms is the X-rays, which travel at the speed of light and can cause radio blackouts," said Larry Combs, a space weather forecaster for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colorado.
The X-rays have also interfered with the data communications of several Himalayan expeditions using satellite phones, he said.
The X-rays were associated with unexpectedly strong solar disturbances this week, in particular a strong coronal mass ejection (CME) on Wednesday, which sent a stream of superheated gas and particles in our direction.
X-rays reach Earth in a matter of minutes, but CME clouds take anywhere from two to four days to reach our planet. This one did not begin arriving until Friday morning, hours earlier than first predicted by space forecasters.
"It's not anything you can see, but it is something our instruments can track," Combs said.
Satellites, pagers, cell phones and electrical grids can be affected by CMEs. In 2000, one such solar blast briefly knocked out or created steering problems for numerous orbiting spacecraft.
"Sometimes satellites can be damaged beyond repair," said Combs. But there are hundreds of satellites in space now, most with some sort of backup possible.
Such geomagnetic storms can disrupt power grids as well. In 1989, one knocked out the main electrical utility in Quebec, Canada, plunging millions into darkness for hours and costing billions of dollars to fix.
The solar stream erupted from a cluster of sunspots on the surface of the sun. The giant dark patch, known as sunspot group 10484, has grown to the size of Jupiter in recent days and has migrated across the face of the sun to a position where it now faces Earth.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colorado, warns a number of industries when there is a major release of such hot bursts of solar gases.
In the midst of these electromagnetic events, power companies often refrain from peak uploading and downloading of power across the grid. Airlines are also alerted, because some navigation systems may be affected.
Satellites are perhaps most at risk from solar activity.
"Satellites live and breathe in space; they are very vulnerable to solar activity," said Combs. "They affect our banking systems, our TVs and cell phones, all the luxuries of life."
Combs said some operators will put their satellites into a stow, or a sort of "sleep" mode, during the highest impact of the electromagnetic activity.
"Sometimes satellites can be damaged beyond repair," said Combs. But there are hundreds of satellites in space now, most with some sort of backup possible.
Such geomagnetic storms can disrupt power grids as well. In 1989, one knocked out the main electrical utility in Quebec, Canada, plunging millions into darkness for hours and costing billions of dollars to fix
The CMEs can also have a biological effect on humans, so space forecasters do daily briefings that might affect any crews in space. For example, it would not be a good idea to do a space walk when a solar event is predicted.
Solar activity is rated, similar to the system for hurricanes or earthquakes, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 as the most intense. The effects from this storm are expected to be classified 3, or moderate.
The magnetic storms can also produce spectacular nocturnal displays of the northern lights; NASA's Space Weather Web site is predicting that auroras could be visible as far south as Oregon and Illinois.
Scientists made their first solar storm forecasts in 1964. Since then a variety of instruments, both in space and on the ground, have improved their ability to track the activity.
"But like anything in nature, sometimes they don't act like we expect them to," Combs said.
-- CNN.com's Richard Stenger contributed to this report.
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