Solar storms that caused pretty auroras can create havoc with technology — here’s how
Jim Wild is the Professor of Space Physics at Lancaster University. He receives research funding from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council and the Natural Environment Research Council. He is a member of the UK Space Environment Impacts Expert Group (SEIEG), an independent committee of experts drawn from Academia, Research Institutes, Companies, and Agencies. He also provides space weather expertise to Frazer Nash Consulting.
At the weekend, millions of people around the world were treated to a mesmerising display of the aurora borealis and aurora australis, better known as the northern and southern lights. The lights, usually seen in crown-like regions surrounding the Earth’s poles, were pushed to mid-latitudes by heightened activity from the Sun.
The same geomagnetic storms causing the auroras can cause havoc with our planet’s human-made infrastructure. These storms, caused by high energy particles from the Sun hitting our atmosphere, have the potential to knock out electrical grids and satellites. So what were the impacts of this recent burst of stormy space weather?
