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Solar storm

Updated: Sep 14, 2022

The image shows a part of the Sun, where an active region can be seen. Huge loops of hot plasma stick out of the surface. At one place, a huge bright spot can be seen. That is a solar flare that erupted in the moment of the shot.

Did you know that solar storms played a crucial role in history and are still a severe cause of harmful effects on our technology? Many events from the past can reveal how damaging solar storms can be. Just think of March 1989, when 6 million people in Quebec woke up in freezing cold homes to find out that there was no electricity. A solar storm in August 1972 caused an unexpected explosion of several undersea mines close to the Vietnamese shore, all that during the times of the Vietnam War. The fact that a massive radio burst on a solar disc in May 1967 nearly caused Third War War is an alarming example of how critical it is to understand the science behind solar storms and their effects. Discover the world of solar storms by learning about coronal mass ejections, solar flares, and solar energetic particles and listen to the full audio booklet below. The audio booklet gives a good overview of space weather effects on our technology as well as of the major historical events