3 ms·
My understanding is that the only early warning system we have relies on old and failing satellites and provides only minutes of warning.
by eli 7y ago
My understanding is that the only early warning system we have relies on old and failing satellites and provides only minutes of warning.
- chrisco255 7y ago"In August 2018, NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched to space, soon becoming the closest-ever spacecraft to the Sun. With cutting-edge scientific instruments to measure the environment around the spacecraft, Parker Solar Probe has completed three of 24 planned passes through never-before-explored parts of the Sun's atmosphere, the corona." https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasas-parker-solar-probe-sheds-new-light-on-the-sun/ https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasas-parker-solar...
- eli 7y agoOh neat. I was at a lecture about space weather some years ago and several scientists were lamenting the delays in that project. Glad it got sorted!
- daxorid 7y agoLight travels faster than plasma, so we have on the order of 12-18 hours notice of a CME targeted at us.
- dredmorbius 7y agoWarning of a possible CME-induced electrical storm. The visible signature alone isn't proof. The actual EMF effects, based on both the nature and targeting of the CME, aren't clear until it encounters some electrically-aware monitoring device. Of which most are in Earth orbit. If countermeasures include such activities as widespread disabling / disconnecting of major grid elements and equipment, you'll want to minimise the false alarms, both on the basis of cost and because of the boy-who-cried-wolf factor.