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Solar Winds Could Cause Some Big Blackouts Across the World

Solar Winds Could Cause Some Big Blackouts Across the World

Batten down the hatches

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

NASA has announced that our sun is currently under-going some of its most intense activity in a while.

A big crack has opened in the Milky Way's central star, called a coronal hole. This is where the sun's magnetic is ripped apart allowing for the solar winds to escape and spew into the vacuum of space. And, alarmingly, to head straight for us.

NASA picked up on the activity yesterday and expect the winds to hit earth in the next day or two. It says parts of the globe could experience power outages and issues with telecommunications because of the solar winds.

Luckily, earth's magnetism manages to deflect the majority of the effects of these outbursts. NASA uploaded a tweet showing just how much our magnetic poles push solar activity around our planet.

In a statement NASA says: "The sun regularly releases a constant stream of magnetic solar material called the solar wind, along with occasional huge clouds of solar material called coronal mass ejections. This material interacts with Earth's magnetic field, causing temporary changes. That temporary change to the magnetic field can create electric currents just under Earth's surface.

"Long, thin, metal structures near Earth's surface - such as underground pipelines, railroads and power lines - can act as giant wires for these currents, causing electricity to flow long distances underground.

"This electric current can cause problems for all three structures, and it's especially difficult to manage in power systems, where controlling the amount of electric current is key for keeping the lights on. Under extreme conditions, geomagnetically induced currents can cause temporary blackouts, which means that studying space weather is a crucial component for emergency management."

The space agency says while these blackouts could have a big impact on transport, healthcare and commerce the effects won't be permanent.

Now while that does seem like a lot of doom and gloom, there is a small positive from this solar activity. The natural phenomenon known as the Northern Lights or aurora borealis is caused when electrically charged particles released from the sun interact with our atmosphere.

northern lights
northern lights

Credit: PA

nl
nl

Credit: PA

We're expecting a hell of a lot of particles coming our way, so it should produce some absolutely stunning colours if you live in parts of Canada, Russia, Europe, New Zealand and South America.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Nasa

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