[ad_1]
Solar storms are fearsome and have terrifying consequences. Now, they hold even more terror for us.
When a solar storm struck the Earth in 1859 it caused fires to break out spontaneously in telegraph system and gave electric shocks to operators. It destroyed the telegraph system and caused power grid failure. It was a terrifying event. The destruction was limited though simply because there were almost no electric or electronic power or electronic devices which could be impacted by the magnetized radiation of a solar storm. But in 2022, the reality is totally different. With Earth becoming a more connected space and humans more dependent on technology from computers, phone to satellites, we have become more prone to falling victims to solar storms. And their attacks are not just limited to computers and other technologies, as they now target us humans as well. That is a terrifying prospect to ponder.
Solar storms can kill you
Foremost, NASA has said that solar storms cannot directly harm humans. While that is a technically correct statement since the most harmful radiation never makes it past the Earth’s protective ozone layer, it does not tell the entire truth. And the truth is that humans can definitely die as a consequence of a solar storm strike, just not directly. But with computers being so closely connected to us, them being harmed can mean death for humans.
Take the horrifying example of Marie Moe. Her pacemaker’s computer began acting up mid-flight after a solar storm strike! It was revealed that the magnetized radiation corrupted the computer. If the issue was not spotted or taken care of when it was, it could have killed her, a BBC report revealed.
Another incident took place in 2008 when a Qantas Airways flight over Western Australia lost control and fell hundreds of feet twice within a span of ten minutes (didn’t touch the ground). This injured dozens of passengers onboard the flight. And had it crashed, it would have killed them all.
There was also an incident in 2003 in Belgium which was attributed to solar storms. A voting machine malfunctioned and gave a political candidate 4,096 votes which were never cast. This highlights the different ways the computers around us can malfunction and how it can affect us, creating life-threatening situations. And as the society progresses towards attaining more technological advancement, this threat will also unfortunately rise.
[ad_2]
Source link