The sun could hit the Internet on Earth

We are now seeing the strongest increase in solar storms in eleven years. Severe solar storms, which are powerful blasts of energy on the Sun, are rare and can affect daily life on Earth.

This can be caused by short-term power outages and, in the worst cases, long-term power outages and major communications problems, says space physicist Urban Brandström at the Institute for Space Physics.

The sun could hit the Internet on Earth

Most solar storms that hit Earth can be controlled, both in terms of strength and consequences. But society's exposure to solar storms increases as development progresses, when reliance on electricity and electronics becomes greater.

– 4G and mobile service may be affected. When mobile base stations lose power, they don't have long battery backup time, which means we lose the mobile network very quickly in the event of a prolonged power outage, Urban Brandstrom says.

Since the Sun is now in the maximum period of solar storms, it may also affect satellites, which could lead to an Internet blackout on Earth. But it is difficult to say exactly what will happen and what the consequences will be.

-There is always some kind of consequence from a solar storm. There won't be dire consequences, but if you really want to paint hell on the wall, it's a good idea to have widespread power outages in a big city, Urban Brandstrom says.

It reaches a maximum within one year

Scientists have not yet succeeded in determining the exact timing when the peak will be reached, but NASA expects it to be reached between the end of the year and the beginning of 2025.

– I don't think you should worry, but there is always a risk, so it's good to be prepared for longer power outages, says Urban Brandström.

In early May, Earth was hit by the largest solar storm in more than a decade. It produced powerful aurorae, but since the Earth was at that time turning the Pacific Ocean toward the sun, there were no serious consequences.

The consequences for our technical system depend on how prepared we are and how strong the storm is. He adds that in the best case, we know when it will come three days in advance so that we can prepare, but we do not know the consequences until after the fact.