• Question: Do you think that there will really be a big solar storm in 2012/13 and how will it affect us?

    Asked by chickenbites to Paul on 23 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Paul Roche

      Paul Roche answered on 23 Jun 2010:

      Solar storms can happen at any time, but mostly they blast off into space and don;t hit the Earth. When they do, they can affect satellite communications, and sometimes even power supplies. But they usually don;t have much of a noticeable affect, unless you leave near the Poles and you get to see the Northern or Southern Lights (aurora).

      The biggest solar storm that we know about was in 1859:
      http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mystery_monday_031027.html

      The Earth’s magnetic field protects us from most of the effects of solar storms, so it is much more danngerous for people in space – it is a very big problem if we want to send humans out into the solar system, beyond the Moon.

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