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NOAA Warns About Biological Radiation Hazards from Extreme Solar Event

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While significant solar events can create beautiful aurora, some can also create situations dangerous to people and animals.
While significant solar events can create beautiful aurora, some can also create situations dangerous to people and animals.




While the aurora is visible across much of the continental United States in skies free of light pollution or clouds, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center is warning about other hazards including a biological radiation hazard that exists due to the hyperactive sun.

In a warning sent out this evening, the Space Weather Warning Center (SWPC) said that a Proton 100MeV Integral Flux above 1pfu is expected. In simpler terms, the SWPC wrote, “An enhancement in the energetic portion of the solar radiation spectrum may indicate increased biological risk to astronauts of passengers and crew in high latitude, high altitude flights.” Trans-Pacific and Trans-Atlantic flights are an example of such high-latitude / high altitude flights.

“Additionally, energetic particles may represent an increased risk to all satellite systems susceptible to single event effects,” the SWPC added.

This extreme geomagnetic storm underway can also impact modern technology. The SWPC warns, “Widespread voltage control problems and protective system problems may occur; some power grid systems may experience component failures or protective device trips resulting in blackouts or disruption of service. Pipeline currents can reach hundreds of amps.”

In addition to hazards to astronauts, the SWPC says, “Spacecraft – Systems may experience anomalies to include: extensive surface charging, unexpected orientation and attitude changes, uplink/downlink errors, and satellite orbit degradation.”

There could be other radio-related outages too. SWPC warns, “Navigation – Satellite navigation (GPS) may be degraded or unavailable for days. Radio – HF (high frequency) radio propagation may be impossible in many areas for one to two days.”