WHAT IS SOLAR STORM...

A solar storm is an event in which activity on the Sun interferes with the Earth's magnetic field. Because the Sun is so far away, many people believe that solar storms are not capable of causing very much damage, but they can in fact be quite devastating. Research in the early 2000s created a number of potential worst case scenarios which illustrated the destructive power of solar storms, including scenarios showing that powerful nations in the developed world could be brought to their knees for a decade or more by a storm of large magnitude.

Solar storms occur as a result of events such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These events generate a so-called “solar wind,” a gust of charged particles which can slam into the Earth's magnetic field in hours if the solar wind happens to be traveling in the direction of Earth. The collision can generate quite a light show as a geomagnetic storm erupts, and the storm can last for several days under the right conditions.

A solar storm can also involve the introduction of tremendous amounts of radiation, which is dangerous for many living organisms. The disruption of the Earth's magnetic field can also be damaging for some organisms. Some animals, for example, appear to be sensitive to magnetic fields and they could become disoriented in a solar storm.