Can solar storms disrupt the global internet?

The US space agency has issued a warning that severe solar storms could paralyze the global internet for weeks. Do they pose a threat to planet Earth, and are there ways to reduce their severity?

Since Friday evening, the Earth has been hit by a "severe" solar storm, the first of its kind since 2003. Its polar lights have illuminated the skies of many countries around the world, but have also raised concerns about its potential impact on electronic networks and communications systems.

These storms are the result of what is known as the “explosive peak” in the solar cycle, a condition that occurs every 11 years, when the sun turns into an explosive ball of energy that releases huge bursts of energy towards Earth.

"What's happening is an explosion of energetic particles and magnetic fields from the sun," John Dahl of NASA's Space Climate Prediction Center said during a press conference on Friday.

The storm is expected to continue through the weekend, with more of those emissions arriving, according to the agency.

The last such event to reach level five was in October 2003, and was called the "Halloween solar storm," as reported by Agence France-Presse.

For his part, American billionaire Elon Musk, who owns Starlink, a satellite internet services company that operates about 5,000 of them in low orbit, confirmed that these satellites “are under a lot of pressure, but they are holding up so far,” in a post on his “X” platform.

The most powerful solar storm ever recorded dates back to 1859, according to NASA. It was known as the “Carrington Event,” and caused disruptions to telegraph lines.

Speaking to Alhurra, the founder of NASA Watch, former NASA astronomer Keith Koenig, explained that “the Internet will not be disrupted by solar storms.”

But he pointed out that part of the communication system would be affected, explaining that "other parts will compensate for it."

"Solar storms do not affect humans, whether indoors or outdoors," Koenig said, adding, "Our planet is in a magnetic field, so we can get out in peace."

(Free America)