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00:01On February, there was the biggest geomagnetic storm in over 20 years.
00:06You might not have heard about it because no major damage was done,
00:10but it had the potential to do serious damage.
00:13In fact, it was the most violent solar storm since 2005,
00:18and it could have knocked out the entire power grid system in North America.
00:22So how do we escape without any blockouts?
00:25What was so special about this storm, and what does it mean for the future of our planet?
00:30Do we need to start preparing for something bigger?
00:33If you keep watching, you will find out.
00:35The sun is very active right now.
00:37Ever since the beginning of 2023,
00:40it has been firing almost nonstop at Earth with solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
00:45But what exactly are these solar storms, and why should we care?
00:48Well, our sun is like a huge ball of gas that is constantly in motion.
00:54It has sunspots and solar flares, which can send out huge bursts of energy towards Earth.
01:00These outbursts of plasma are called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs for short.
01:05When they hit our planet, they interact with the magnetic field and atmosphere causing geomagnetic storms.
01:12And here's where things get interesting.
01:14Geomagnetic storms can disrupt important things, like the power grid, telecommunications, and navigation systems.
01:23For example, the one back in 1989 knocked out the power grid in Quebec, Canada, for nine hours and left six million people without electricity.
01:32The one in 2003 caused high-frequency radio blackout for a whole day all over the world.
01:40And the one in 2012 affected 50 commercial airlines and cost an estimated $340 million in damages.
01:47Now compare those numbers to the February storm.
01:50We were lucky if we didn't feel its effects because it was much stronger than the previous ones.
01:56In fact, scientists measured a magnetic crochet of 1100 nt, which is the highest value recorded by the network since its creation.
02:04Back in 1991, and even though the impact was not as severe as expected, it still managed to cause some problems.
02:11There were high-frequency radio blackouts, fluctuations in the power grid, and the northern lights could be seen as far south as Texas and Florida.
02:21It might seem like just another crazy weather event, but it's actually part of a larger trend that we need to pay attention to.
02:29According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOA, these types of storms happen in cycles.
02:37The sun's activity goes through 11-year cycles of maximums.
02:40During maximums, there are more sunspots and solar storms, and during minimums, there are fewer of them.
02:47We are currently approaching the maximum of the solar cycle that began in December 2019.
02:53That means that the next few years will be more active than usual.
02:57And according to some experts, we could see the most powerful solar storm in history.
03:02It's called the solar maximum, and it happens every 11 years when the sun's activity peaks.
03:07This means more sunspots, more solar flares, and of course, more geomagnetic storms on Earth.
03:14But it's not just any solar maximum.
03:17Some of them are stronger than others.
03:19For example, the one in 2005 produced the most intense geomagnetic storm ever recorded.
03:25It had a magnetic crochet of 1721 nanotesla.
03:29Can you imagine?
03:31That's enough to mess up our entire power grid system.
03:34And unfortunately, we are approaching a grand solar maximum, which means that we might experience something similar or even worse.
03:43What makes this situation even more complicated is that we are not prepared for such events.
03:49Most of our infrastructure is not designed to withstand the impact of major solar storms.
03:54For example, the power grid system is vulnerable to strong geomagnetically induced currents that can flow into the transformers and damage them.
04:03This could lead to widespread blackouts and chaos in our daily lives.
04:08We would face food shortages, communication breakdowns, and economic losses.
04:14Even our satellites and GPS systems could be affected, leading to more problems.
04:19And don't think that it couldn't happen because it already did.
04:22Back in 1859, there was a solar storm called the Carrington event that caused the first global emergency alert system to go haywire.
04:31It messed up the telegraph system around the world and even lit up some telegraph operators' offices on fire.
04:38It also created auroras that could be seen from Cuba to Scotland and destroyed 500 telegraph lines in the process.
04:46And you won't believe me, but some people thought that it was the end times.
04:49So how do we know that the sun is getting ready to blow up?
04:53Well, it all starts with sunspots.
04:56Sunspots are regions on the sun's surface that are cooler than the surrounding photospheric temperature.
05:02They have strong magnetic fields and are often the sites of solar flares and CMEs.
05:07The more sunspots there are, the more active the sun is and the higher the chances of powerful solar storms.
05:13Right now, the number of sunspots is increasing and they are becoming more frequent.
05:19Scientists are also seeing more and more X and M class solar flares, which are the strongest types of solar eruptions.
05:26But what really makes us super paranoid is the fact that the sun has been quiet for 22 years.
05:32No, seriously.
05:34Since 1991, we haven't had a solar maximum that reached the expected level of intensity.
05:40The last three solar maximums were weak and irregular, which gave scientists and experts a false sense of security.
05:47They assumed that maybe the sun had become less active and the solar cycle was changing.
05:53However, the upcoming solar maximum could bring the sun back to its normal behavior,
05:59meaning that it will be much more active and violent than before.
06:03You might think that I'm exaggerating, but let me tell you something.
06:07Space weather experts are sounding the alarm.
06:09They are saying that we need to prepare for the worst and that we could face the most intense solar storm in a century.
06:16Of course, they are being cautious and responsible, but they are also very concerned about the potential impact on our society.
06:25According to them, the coming solar maximum could pose a threat to our way of life.
06:29We are talking about a potential EMP attack, an electromagnetic pulse that could shut down our entire power grid system
06:39and leave us without electricity for months or even years.
06:43An EMP attack is basically an explosion of energy that can interfere with electronic devices and disable them.
06:49It can happen naturally through a massive solar storm or artificially through a nuclear weapon detonated in the upper atmosphere.
06:58Either way, the effect is the same.
07:00All the electronics in the area would be fried and we would have to start from scratch.
07:04Now imagine that happening on a global scale.
07:08Our hospitals would collapse.
07:10Our banks would crash.
07:11Our farms would rot.
07:13We would basically go back to the Stone Age and don't think that it's just a doomsday scenario.
07:20It could actually happen.
07:22There have been several near misses in the past few years.
07:25For example, in 2012, a massive solar storm missed Earth by just 12 days.
07:31If it had hit us, it would have been 10 times more powerful than the Carrington event.
07:36Also, in 2017, another solar storm missed Earth by only 6 hours.
07:41If it had struck us, it would have caused widespread blackouts and panic.
07:46These are not isolated cases.
07:48There are many examples of solar storms that could have caused major problems but luckily missed their mark.
07:54It's only a matter of time until one of them hits us and causes serious damage.
07:59And when that happens, we need to be prepared.
08:03So, what should we do to protect ourselves and our infrastructure?
08:06Well, the first step is to raise awareness.
08:07Most people don't know about the risks of solar storms and the potential impact on their daily lives.
08:15They also don't know how to prepare for them or what to do during an emergency.
08:19We need to change that through education and public campaigns.
08:24The second step is to invest in research and technology.
08:27We need to improve our miniature forecasting systems to detect and track solar storms as early as possible.
08:34We also need to develop new technologies to protect our infrastructure and restore it quickly after a disaster.
08:42The third step is to build resilience and redundancy into our infrastructure.
08:47This means designing it to withstand the impact of solar storms and having backup systems in place to restore essential services quickly.
08:55For example, we could bury some of our power cables underground to protect them from geomagnetically induced currents.
09:04We could also install filters and surge protectors on transformers to limit the damage caused by solar storms.
09:10And don't think that these are crazy ideas.
09:13They are already being used in some parts of the world.
09:17For example, in Norway, they have buried some of their high voltage cables underground to avoid disruptions from space weather.
09:23So, what do you think?
09:25Are you worried about the upcoming solar maximum?
09:28Do you think we are prepared for major solar storms?
09:31Or do you think it's just another crazy conspiracy theory?
09:35Let me know in the comments below.
09:38And if you enjoyed this video, please share it with your friends and family.
09:41They might also enjoy it.
09:43Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.
