Not All Tech Survives Solar Storms, Here's What's Most At Risk

The northern lights could mean lights out for the infrastructure we rely on.

In 1989, the Canadian region of Quebec experienced something that likely shocked many of its residents: the Sun knocked out its power grid. Caused by a geomagnetic storm, the resulting blackout made six million people lose power for nine hours. Known as 'the day the sun brought darkness,' the blackout is emblematic of both the potential effects of solar activity on modern technologies and our relative unpreparedness for a major solar storm.

Solar storms are caused by magnetic reconnection, a process in which the Sun's rotation forces its magnetic fields to twist and knot. As it undergoes its 11 year cycle, the pressure from these fields mounts. Eventually, these magnetic fields break and rejoin, whereby energy and plasma explode from the Sun's surface into the solar system. Although invisible to the naked eye, solar storms can have...

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