Scientists say we are overdue for another of these sorts of super solar storms.
Activity is likely to peak over the next year or so and could bring strong solar storms.
However, whereas the nuclear-burst scenario is a mere possibility, the frequent recurrence of solar storms is a certainty.
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Solar storms are a natural byproduct of the physical forces at work in the sun, and thus have been with us throughout human history.
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When we come out of that cycle, we may see an impact on electronic equipment from the resulting electromagnetic energy associated with solar storms.
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"During solar storms, lots of things happen, the belts can expand greatly, " said Mona Kessel, RBSP program scientist based at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.
Based on observational data of solar storms, the radiation belts, and the plasmasphere during past years, the authors were able to successfully model the Halloween solar storm.
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Studies of space weather aid in the development of early warning systems for solar storms and help to minimize the damage from turbulent solar activity, researchers said.
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Such a probe would be able to provide an hour's more warning of solar storms, which can disrupt electricity grids and cause other nasty side-effects on earth.
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Solar storms don't harm people, but they do disrupt technology.
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The sun has been in a particularly prolonged and deep solar minimum for the last couple of years, with fewer sunspots and solar storms erupting on its surface.
Solar storms are violent eruptions on the sun that send a wave of charged particles, called plasma, into space at the speed of more than one million miles per hour.
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The rapid expansion of the electrical grid in recent decades, coupled with the growing reliance of society on relatively fragile electrical devices, has greatly increased the danger posed by solar storms.
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Doomsters support their apocalyptic forecast with examples like Hurricane Sandy, the impending fiscal cliff, the global economic slowdown, earthquakes, tsunamis, continents breaking apart, polar icecaps melting, solar storms raging and planets colliding.
The researchers hope to continue their work modeling radiation from solar storms, with an eye towards better and more accurate predictions, as well as looking for ways to diminish the impacts of such storms.
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Armchair astronomers have already helped classify galaxies seen by Hubble, the main orbiting telescope of America's space agency, NASA. They have also looked for interesting asteroids, and kept an eye out for solar storms.
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The country is also working on a range of other solar projects, although dust storms can hinder the effectiveness of solar panels there.
When a massive solar flare erupts on the sun, it can cause geomagnetic storms on the Earth.
The sun is currently in an active phase of its 11-year solar cycle, and it should continue to fire off big storms for a while yet.
Liquid Robotics, the Silicon Valley startup that makes the surfboard-sized robot called a Wave Glider, announced Wednesday that Papa Mau arrived off the coast of Queensland, Australia, on Nov. 20 after surviving storms, sharks and 25-foot surf while its solar-powered sensor arrays collected terabytes of data on ocean and atmospheric conditions during the year-long journey.
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They then modeled a solar storm with the intensity of the Carrington Solar Storm, which took place in 1859 and is estimated to have been about four times stronger than the Halloween storms.
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