SOLAR storms are phenomena that temporarily affect the Earth and its magnetic field.
There are about five types of solar storms and they usually start out with a huge explosion on the sun, known as solar flares.
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What is a solar storm?
Solar storms occur when the sun emits huge bursts of energy in the form of solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
This sends electrical charges and magnetic fields toward the Earth at a speed of about three million miles per hour.
Scientists also refer to solar storms as geomagnetic storms.
Solar storms can cause disturbances in Earth such as blinding satellites, disrupting mobile phone and GPS signals, and widespread power outages.
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What do solar storms look like?
Solar storms look like a series of colorful lights lining the North or South Pole sky.
The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, in Norway are an example of solar storms.
These lights occur when solar winds send out charged particles like solar protons in the upper atmosphere of Earth.
Solar storms have hit Earth many times in the past, with the most known storm occurring in 1989.
The solar storm caused a nine-hour blackout at Hydro-Québec’s electricity transmission system in Canada at the time.
What did scientists say about solar storms?
In a 2019 study, scientists warned that the Earth is due for a major solar storm within the next century.
They showed that the sun is capable of producing volleys of solar radiation dubbed “superflares.”
A single superflare could take out all technology on Earth, potentially causing trillions in damage and sending the planet into total chaos.
“Our study shows that superflares are rare events,” said lead expert Dr Yuta Notsu, from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
“But there is some possibility that we could experience such an event in the next 100 years or so.”
The Sun formed 4.6billion years ago and has been in its current state for around four billion years
It is expected that it will remain stable for another five billion years.
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