Strong solar storms to wreak havoc in northern latitudes

[William Knowles <wk () C4I ORG>]

http://english.hk.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/technology/afp/article.html?s=hke/headlines/001125/technology/afp/Strong_solar_storms_to_wreak_havoc_in_northern_latitudes.html

Saturday, November 25 2:05 PM SGT
WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (AFP) -

Across the United States this weekend, fire alarms and anti-theft
devices may be triggered for no reason, pictures on television screens
may flicker and fade to black, and entire communities could be plunged
into sudden darkness.

Such unusual goings-on things could result from what scientists
describe as a wave of major geomagnetic storms expected to strike
beginning late Saturday and last for several days.

In an alert issued Friday, the US government's Space Environment
Center said "a major solar flare from a large, active sunspot group"
was observed on the Sun from Boulder, Colorado, last Thursday, at 8:13
am local time (1513 GMT), likely producing "additional major events."

The solar radiation storms and strong geomagnetic storms categorized
by the center as "G3", officials said.

Under such storms "power system voltage corrections may be required,
false alarms triggered on some protection devices, surface charging
may occur on satellite components, drag may increase on
low-Earth-orbit satellites, and corrections may be needed for
orientation problems," the center pointed out.

The list of possible calamities doesn't end there, however.

The storm wave could cause interruptions in navigation satellite
communications and become a real headache for high-frequency ham radio
operators, according to the center.

"In the worst case scenario, power can be lost," Norman Cohen, a space
environment forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, told AFP.

He said failures of power grids were more likely to occur "at higher
latitudes in both hemispheres," but the geomagnetic storms -- to
continue for at least several days -- would affect the whole planet.

"It will be global event. And we won't know the magnitude until it
actually starts," Cohen stressed.

He said the flare observed on the surface of the Sun on Thursday has
spawned a large cloud of plasma, which is heading towards the Earth.

"From its appearance, we have been able to determine that it was
Earth-directed," Cohen explained. "It will be a major event."

The magnitude of the storms was expected to reach six or seven on a
scale of nine, according to the forecaster.

As a result, orbiting satellites may experience "some orientation
problems" and "will need correction from ground control," Cohen said.

That may affect some communications, but television networks and
cellular phones should be working normally, said the forecaster. If
interruptions were to occur, they should be brief.

Power grids, however, may be worst-equipped to withstand the
geomagnetic onslaught from space.

In 1989, most of the power grid in the Canadian province of Quebec
went down for an expended period of time due to such a storm, Cohen
reminded.

On the bright side, night-time skywatchers in areas far beyond the
Arctic could be treated to a spectacle they have never seen before.

Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as Northern Lights, could be seen in
North America as far south as the US states of Oregon and Illinois,
the center said.

"Most of Europe will be able to see it too," added Cohen.

He said in Illinois and Oregon, the aurora will probably be visible
starting at around midnight Saturday. In Europe, it is most likely to
be detected on Sunday and following days after dark.


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