Solar superstorm headed our way can raise the price of gas, cause 'internet apocalypse'

Earth is not prepared to handle a major solar storm, scientists have warned, after carrying out an experiment. The Sun has been active for several days now, launching plasma and solar flares into space. A huge sunspot has opened up in its atmosphere. It released a massive chunk of material last week, which did not impact Earth much. Now, the sunspot AR4087 is turning towards Earth, and the sunspot is getting wider. In such a scenario, what will happen to Earth?

Scientists have been trying to understand how a mega solar storm will affect our planet. They recently conducted a "solar storm emergency drill" and discovered that if a major geomagnetic storm were to hit Earth, a cosmic disaster would unfold.

Also Read: Sunspot that released 1 million kilometre solar flare may soon face Earth. What to expect?

Monster geomagnetic storm can wreak havoc on everyday basics

Geomagnetic storms occur when the Sun releases charged plasma, which then interacts with Earth's magnetic field. Four scenarios of different scales of storm were tested. The first one was a "solar superstorm", which was so massive that it could trigger an "internet apocalypse".

Researchers said that it would disrupt power grids across the US. Blackouts lasting weeks would occur on the eastern seaboard.

Travel would be hit on a mass scale since the storm would impact railways. Gas pipelines would also go under, resulting in a hike in the price of gas.

Massive sunspot is turning towards Earth

Looking at how scary the scenario would be if a monster solar storm were to hit Earth, scientists are now calling on the government to take immediate action. As per their estimate, more satellites are needed to monitor space weather and to remain vigilant about solar storms. The forecasting models also need to be improved to issue early warnings.

Also Read: Most dangerous solar storm to hit Earth potentially altered life thousands of years ago

The exercise was carried out in May 2024 by the Space Weather Operations, Research, and Mitigation (SWORM) task force. They set the solar storm date as January 29, 2028. The simulation had several massive solar flares and high-energy radiation from the sun aimed at Earth.

However, there isn't much time to do all this since a massive solar storm is heading towards Earth this week. A huge sunspot has released a powerful X-class flare, which could turn a simulation into a reality.

1 million kilometre solar flare

NASA had earlier warned that the solar flare unleashed on May 19 can disrupt radio communications, impact power grids, navigation networks and even harm astronauts and satellites.

A solar flare released last week stretched a whopping 1 million kilometres. The solar flare triggered a blast of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation towards Earth, and disrupted high-frequency radio signals across affected regions.