Professor Peter Becker, from George Mason University in Virginia, United States, has developed warning systems about solar activities that could harm technology around the world. According to the Naval Research Laboratory group, led by the scientist, a solar storm could cause a “digital apocalypse” in 2024 and affect the quality of the internet for months.
Peter claims that this will be the first time, since human dependence on the internet, that there will be a convergence between increased solar activity. According to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, the super solar storm is expected to occur earlier than expected and could put the internet out of business.
“The Internet was simply not designed to handle this level of communication interference. Therefore, the period from 2024 to 2028 is a time when the entire Internet could be shut down for a period of weeks to months in the event of a really big solar storm. extreme.” said the scientist
In addition to the Internet, the electrical grid, GPS navigation systems, satellites, communications equipment and fiber optic cables can also suffer damage.
What is a solar storm?
All the time, chemical reactions are happening inside the Sun that end up generating energy and particles, which heat up over time. Every 22 years, the so-called solar magnetic cycle, these particles overheat, causing an explosion.
Often, these explosions do not cause any impact on terrestrial life, but in 1989, a blackout occurred in Quebec, Canada, due to changes caused by a solar storm. Residents reported a light show in the sky and thousands of people were left without power and radio communication was also interrupted.
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