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Why experts say a solar storm could cause trillions of dollars worth of damage
Black Phoenix:
https://www.deseret.com/2023/11/14/23960735/what-is-solar-storm
--- Quote ---The sun is beginning to enter a more active time for flares that cause solar storms that can impact the Earth.
As Earth enters this new phase, experts have been discussing how these solar storms could affect modern advancements on the planet and even lead to what a team from George Mason University called an “internet apocalypse.”
“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 Peter Becker of George Mason University told 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.”
--- End quote ---
Do I think is going to be as destructive as they say? I will reply the same way as the Y2K previsions of end of the world.
Yes they will be disruptions, yes probably a ton of old satellites orbiting Earth's will be rendered space junk, specially old stuff from the 80s if there is some still around. But the doom and gloom they are trying to portray? No, absolutely not.
AndyBeez:
A Carrington level event might just clean space of all the Stariinkjunk satellites. Silver lining.
Marco:
Without a large blackout I don't see how it should affect internet.
Shame we went with AC in the end, HVDC doesn't care about solar storms. It's just a tiny low frequency load modulation for HVDC.
langwadt:
--- Quote from: AndyBeez on November 20, 2023, 10:21:02 am ---A Carrington level event might just clean space of all the Stariinkjunk satellites. Silver lining.
--- End quote ---
what's wrong with starlink?
Psi:
--- Quote from: Marco on November 20, 2023, 10:49:39 am ---Without a large blackout I don't see how it should affect internet.
--- End quote ---
A totally isolated internet connection using fiber might be ok, but it still has a power feed using copper, so HV arcs getting into fiber routers could take them all out.
Some roadside comms cabinets are combined DSL and fiber. The DSL stuff is toast due to the voltage induced in all the copper phone wires and that may kill any connected fiber routers nearby. The main issue is you can't just install a replacement because everyone else is trying to do the same at the same time. There's just not enough replacements available. So it would take months, maybe years, maybe 10's of years to manufacture enough replacement electronics depending how bad it was.
The carrington event had reports of sparks showering from telegraph machines, shocking operators and setting papers ablaze. The arcs were pretty extreme and had a lot more energy than a static shock.
The carrington event is not even the biggest, just the biggest in recorded history. There's some evidence in tree rings of an even large one happening around 14300 years ago.
It really just comes down to how big it is, small ones happen all the time and don't case many issues, they're a bit annoying for power stations to deal with but no big issue normally.
However really big ones have the power to fry a lot of modern electronics if those systems are connected to any long conductive wires.
It's like taking a car ignition coil to your tech.
Its not going to be happy.
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