The Sun is about to become more active than it has been in ten years. This could cause power outages and spectacular auroras

As the geomagnetic storm mixes with the ionospheric magnetic charge, it creates currents in the ionosphere. These currents in the upper parts of our atmosphere interact with particles in the ground. The interaction of these particles creates strong electrical currents that can overload infrastructure on Earth.

This can cause some strange phenomena.

For example, in 1972, US military pilots flying south of the port of Haiphong in North Vietnam saw two dozen sea mines explode in the water for no apparent reason.

A 2018 study that looked at space weather at the time concluded that the event was caused by a massive solar storm.

The strongest solar storm we have experienced occurred in 1859. True, at that time people did not rely on electricity as much as they do now, and the only thing that was cut off was the telegraph lines.

However, the events of 1989 under the influence of space and weather show how vulnerable we have become to this phenomenon. A massive geomagnetic storm knocked out power to 6 million people in Quebec, Canada for nine hours on March 13 of that year.

As these geomagnetic storms slam into the ionosphere, they can make auroras shine big and bright. At the moment, many places in Europe are capturing wonderful northern lights.

Every decade we become more and more dependent on electricity and other technologies, Owen emphasized. And the last solar cycle, which peaked around 2010, was particularly quiet and may have given us a false sense of security.

“It was the smallest we’ve had in about a hundred years,” the expert said.

However, we are not in immediate danger. Physicists predict that this cycle will not be the largest we have ever seen. In addition, scientists are getting better at predicting storms so we can prepare for them.