What are solar storms? Why do they threaten the internet?

Solar storms are in the news once again. News reports indicate that
there is another solar storm coming and the storm can have massive impact on
internet infrastructure around the planet, throwing millions of people outside
the world wide web. In the current technology-driven system, where almost every
business and government rely heavily on the internet, a damage to internet
infrastructure could have epic consequences. Here, we go into what are solar
storms and the kind of impact they may have.

What are solar storms?

Solar storms or solar flares are a sudden flash of increased brightness
on the Sun, usually observed near its surface and in close proximity to a
sunspot group.  Solar storms occur when
the sun is at its peak solar activity. The sun shoots out hot boiling plasma in
the form of solar flares and winds. This includes huge bursts of charged
particles released from the sun’s atmosphere straight into space.

Also Read | Solar storm 2021: Internet can stop working due to CME, says Indian researcher

This in turn affects the Earth’s magnetosphere that produces vibrant
auroras around regions where auroras are not normally seen. The burst of
charged particles are potent enough to cause devastating interference with
electronics, causing complete blackouts.

Why do solar storms occur?

US space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) states that the Sun, just like the Earth, exists in the solar system in
its own tune. But because it is the star of our solar system, events and activities
on the Sun have an immense impact on Earth. Solar storms are caused by solar
activities on the Sun’s surface.

These solar activities may include: coronal mass ejections — large
clouds of plasma and magnetic field erupt from the sun causing solar flares,
release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots or high-speed solar wind
streams coming from coronal holes.

Why solar storms threaten the internet?

Solar storms are often known to cause outages in power and
communications systems. This happens when charged particles from the sun
interact with Earth’s magnetosphere. These can theoretically destroy electronic
gadgets on Earth due to the overwhelming bombardment of charged particles.
Although, for people, it poses no significant risks as we are protected against
solar storms by the Earth’s atmosphere.