Preparing for the next big solar storm

In mid 2011, the Sun is once again on the eve of solar cycle intensity lower than usual, at least that's what the forecasters say. The "Carrington Event" held in 1859 and received the name in honor of astronomer Richard Carrington who witnessed the solar flare that caused it reminds us that strong storms can occur even when the sun is going through a cycle nominally weak.

In 1859, the most serious consequences were a day or two without telegraphic messages and sky watchers puzzled many tropical islands.

But in 2011, the situation would be much more serious. The spate of blackouts, spread across continents by the power lines for long distance, it could take weeks or even months, the time needed by engineers to repair the damaged transformers.

Ships and planes could no longer rely on their GPS units for navigation. Banking and financial networks could stop working, thus disrupting trade in a way that is unique to the Information Age. According to a 2008 report published by the National Academy of Sciences, a powerful solar storm, as those that occur once a century, could have the same economic impact of Hurricane Katrina 20.

As officials gather to learn about this threat, researchers from NASA, who are a few kilometers away, and are doing something about it:

"It is possible to track the progress of solar storms in 3 dimensions, as they approach Earth," says Michael Hessen, who is director of the Laboratory of Space Weather, Center Goddard Space Flight Center, and who will give a conference forum. "This makes it possible to deploy actionable alerts for time in space, which could protect power grids and other high-tech dispositive during periods of extreme solar activity."