In 1859, one of the strongest solar storms in history approached Earth. This in particular became known as the Carrington affair. The storm caused fires at telegraph stations, halting operations. If an event the size of Carrington were to occur today, it would disrupt a wide variety of modern technologies, from power grids to satellites, and even bring global communications to a standstill. Without a doubt, today’s technology is more vulnerable than ever to extreme space weather conditions.
DAGGER is a model that combines the power of artificial intelligence with NASA satellite data to predict dangerous space weather. Its official name is Deep Study of Geomagnetic Distortions. The model can quickly generate predictions and update them every minute, according to a NASA statement.
DAGGER was designed to study the spacecraft’s measurements of the solar wind, the stream of charged particles emitted from the Sun. After this measurement, NASA can predict “where a solar storm will come from anywhere in the world with 30 minutes of advance warning”.
The team tested this AI model by running it in two geomagnetic storms that occurred in August 2011 and March 2015. DAGGER was able to quickly and accurately predict worldwide storm effects for both storms.
“Thanks to this artificial intelligence, it is now possible to make fast and accurate global forecasts and make decisions in the event of a solar storm, thereby minimizing – even preventing – disruptions in modern society,” said Vishal Upendran of the Intercollegiate Center for Astronomy. and Astrophysics in India, which published the article on the DAGGER model published in the journal Space WeatherNASA said in a statement.
A 30-minute warning will give some time to prevent possible destruction of modern infrastructure, including power grids.
The space weather forecast is particularly useful as the Sun approaches its “solar maximum” in 2025. This will be the culmination of the Sun’s 11-year cycle of activity, which could trigger more intense and frequent bursts of solar flares from the Sun’s atmosphere into space and toward Earth.
With these advances in space weather forecasting, NASA adds that “solar storm sirens may one day sound the alarm at power plants and satellite control centers around the world, just as hurricane sirens in cities sound before a threat to Earth’s weather.” and cities in America.”
Source: Port Altele
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