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Solar flares corrupt planes
How disruptive can space weather really be? Surprisingly, the answer is multiple: just ask Airbus.
Solar flares can reach truly catastrophic scaleshaving the potential to wreak havoc on power systems and satellites orbiting Earth.
Even planes aren’t safe from geomagnetic storms, as news broke over the weekend that aircraft manufacturer Airbus has recalled thousands of its A320 jetliners due to a defect that allowed intense solar radiation to “corrupt data critical to the operation of flight controls.” Gizmodo Reports.
The A320 is the most delivered airliner in history, and the recall has seriously affected some airlines, such as Colombia’s Avianca, which said the problem affected 70% of its fleet.
And as solar activity continues to an unexpected acceleration of its activity over the coming decadesthe problems it poses will likely only get worse.
Hello, sun
Welcome back, science fans. We’re here with news of new geomagnetic storms, as Earth was hit by a solar flare last night and many more – alongside a coronal mass ejection – appear to be coming.
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large, fast-moving clouds of magnetized plasma that are occasionally spewed into space by the sun alongside solar flares — powerful explosions on the surface of our star were triggered when the solar magnetic loops snapped in two like an overstretched rubber band.
Last night’s eruption was a surprise, spaceweather.com reports, coming from a new sunspot on the sun’s northern surface that seemed harmless until it exploded. The eruption ionized the Earth’s atmosphere and caused a radio blackout over Australia.
With several more sunspots appearing on the sun’s surface, it could be a busy week for solar storms, likely to bring more space disturbances and auroras here on Earth.
Ben Turner
