Is a 'Katrina-Like' Space Storm Brewing?

U.S. scientists worry we aren't ready for a solar space storm that could knock out our electricity, our cell phones, even our water supply. The chances of that happening are small, but it is a possibility as we move into an active period of solar storms. How do they know? Well, it's happened before. Back in 1859, a solar eruption resulted in telegraph wires burning up. Of course, the world is now covered in wires and wireless devices that could be vulnerable.

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Perfect Space Storm Could be Catastrophic on Earth, Study Concludes

The sun works on a pretty well known 11-year cycle of activity, all measured by sunspots and solar flares. But like the stock market, the sunspot cycle is unpredictable. And just when astronomers thought it had hit bottom, it went lower. It has been a bear market for sunspots for many months now. That also means there have been no major space storms, which can zap satellites and threaten power grids on Earth.

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U.S. Must Take Space Storm Threat Seriously, Experts Warn

WASHINGTON — Space weather could pose serious problems here on Earth in the coming years, the chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Saturday (Feb. 19). A severe solar storm has the potential to take down telecommunications and power grids, and the country needs to work on being better prepared, said NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Lubchenco is also the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.

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