The coming solar maximum in 2025 has sparked renewed interest in solar cycles and their potential impact on Earth. This epoch, characterized by increased solar activity, has raised concerns about the digital world’s vulnerability to destructive solar storms capable of destroying global communication networks.
The Sun will reach “solar maximum” – a highly energetic period — in 2025, according to the Washington Post. It has reported on the lack of preparation and the flood of misinformation surrounding this topic, which has created an atmosphere of uncertainty and speculation.
The possibility of a digital apocalypse
While it is unknown whether the 2025 solar storm will result in the anticipated “end of the internet,” conversations have begun about the fate of the “always online” civilization in such an event. According to the Washington Post, these fears are not entirely unwarranted, as the impact of a powerful solar storm on Earth’s interconnected infrastructure could result in widespread internet outages.
Historical incidents such as the Carrington Event of 1859, which caused telegraph lines to spark and electrocute operators, and the 1989 solar storm, which interrupted the Quebec electricity infrastructure for hours, serve as reminders of the dangers.
What are the potential infrastructural flaws?
Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi, a computer science professor at the University of California, Irvine, who has played an important role in bringing attention to this issue through her paper titled ‘Solar Superstorms: Planning for an Internet Apocalypse,’ told the Washington Post about the uncertainty surrounding how current infrastructure would withstand extreme solar events, given that such scenarios are not accounted for in failure testing.
“We’ve never experienced one of the extreme case events, and we don’t know how our infrastructure would respond to it. Our failure testing doesn’t even include such scenarios,” she told the Washington Post.
A single day of lost connectivity due to a solar storm is expected to cost more than $11 billion in the United States alone. On July 4, as the United States celebrated Independence Day, the Sun put on a stunning display of solar storms, which NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) caught. Tamitha Skov, a space weather physicist, provided a video of the Sun’s coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which served as a visual reminder of the enormous forces at work.
In summary, the approaching solar maximum in 2025 has heightened fears about the possibility of destructive solar storms and their impact on worldwide communication networks. While uncertainties and disinformation abound, experts emphasize the need of recognizing and mitigating risks. Also adequately prepare for potential disruptions that could lead to significant economic consequences.