Solar storm expected by experts could generate trillions of dollars in damage
Carrington event can also cause aurora borealis to be seen outside the auroral zone
“In the next two months, places that haven't seen the aurora boreal in later centuries will have that opportunity.”.
The prediction is by Marco Brotto, Brazilian specialist who for more than ten years has been dedicated to hunting the Northern Lights in the Arctic countries.
According to him, the phenomenon is already happening and should appear in the coming months in cities where it is not usually seen, like around amsterdam, London, Berlin, Prague and New York.
“The chances are huge, especially if an x-class occurs, What are the most powerful and energetic solar flares called?, details Brotto.
As x-class – also known as the Carrington Event – are capable of interfering with the most varied electromagnetic activities on planet Earth and interrupting transmissions from radio stations around the world.
“The last time humans witnessed this phenomenon was in 1859, when 1 billion tons of solar mass was launched into space, towards the earth, producing aurora borealis even in places close to the equator, like Cuba”.
In January of this year Marco Brotto had already warned that the next six months would be crucial to determine the visualization of aurora borealis on Earth.
"We still don't know what the peak of the current solar cycle will be., which intensified much earlier than expected and continues to increase”, details it.
Considered one of the most beautiful natural phenomena that exist, the aurora borealis is the result of the behavior of the sun in the earth's atmosphere.
When particles emitted by solar storms touch the planet's poles, they react with atmospheric gases and color the sky with an incredible dance of multicolored lights that attract tourists from all over the world to the Arctic Circle region.
I.e, the busier the sun, more solar storms happen and better aurora viewing in more regions, especially in areas outside Arctic countries.
That's why, specialists like Brotto keep an eye on the solar cycle, because they know that the sun experiences a rise and fall of its activity every 11 years or 12 Years, with peak sunspots facing Earth at half that time – and it is sunspots that indicate storms.
“We have a high probability of a solar flare in the next few days. Ago, at that time, a very rare coronal hole formation in addition to very active sunspots. A new Carrington Event can occur at any time, causing satellites to drop and signal loss in GPS devices”, alert.
Researchers at Lloyd's of London, in England, and the US Agency for Atmospheric and Environmental Research estimate that if a Carrington Event were to impact the Earth it would cause, at that time, estimated damage at 0,6 a 2,6 trillion dollars, only to the United States. “This is the danger of a solar storm of this size.”, alert Brotto.
in january 2023, the amount of sunspots of the current solar cycle was already greater than the peak of the cycle.
“And we still don't know when the peak will be and its intensity, bearing in mind that activity continues to grow and the next six months will once again be crucial”, explica Brotto, who has been studying the aurora borealis for more than ten years and has already carried out more than one hundred expeditions to view them, com 100% Of success.
Recently, the head of space research at the Norwegian Space Center, Pål Brekke, made public the assessment that the solar maximum of the current cycle should occur in 2024.
And the more sunspots are seen on the sun, more auroras are seen on Earth.
“The season of 2023 it's been amazing, including viewing the rarest auroras, like the pink ones, blue and reddish. I've seen more than 30 of them to the naked eye between September 2022 to April 2023”, count Brotto.
he explains, nonetheless, that even at solar minimum, when activity is lowest, Is it possible to see auroras on Earth?.
“The plasma that makes auroras doesn't just come from sunspots.. It is always reaching the earth's atmosphere and, therefore, Aurora viewing continues in the polar regions, even at low sun. The most important tip for travelers who are interested in seeing them is to look for expeditions guided by legal professionals who are very well informed about safety conditions., climatic, atmospheric and solar, finishes Brotto.
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