A Massive Solar Storm Could Cause Damages 20 Times The Cost Of Hurricane Katrina (VIDEO)

CNN gathered top scientists together to discuss what the fallout would be if Earth were ever in the line of fire of the Sun during a massive solar storm. The results could be devastating, they warn.

The powerful burst of energy from the Sun could wreak havoc with satellites and electric grids on Earth, ultimately costing up to $2 trillion in one year.

While so far we've escaped any big solar storms, one NASA scientists says, "the Sun is waking up from a deep slumber," and that massive solar activity is likely to increase.

WATCH:

Comments

[SolarStormWarning]

11:22 AM on 07/22/2010

Astrophysicist Alexei Dmitriev says that both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 satellites reveal that our sun, as well as our entire solar system, is now moving into an interstellar energy cloud. Opher, a NASA Heliophysics Guest Investigator from George Mason University says this interstellar energy cloud is turbulent. Dmitriev explains that this cloud of energy is exciting the atmospheres of our planets and especially our sun. As this interstellar energy cloud continues to excite/charge the sun, it causes the sun to become more active, resulting in greater output from the sun. IE: Bigger and more frequent solar storms and CME's resulting in the Carrington effect. This interstellar cloud of electrical energy is also absorbed by the Earth, and scientist have found that it results in more earth quakes, all while dramatically effecting our weather here on earth. When asked how long will it take our sun to pass through this interstellar energy cloud, Dr. Dmitriev replied, "I don't know. But If I had to guess, I would say somewhere between two thousand to three thousand years." This interstellar cloud is a wispy band of charged particles.

When Dr. Dmitriev was asked what are the implications of all this for earth he replied, "Global catastrophe! Not in tens of years from now, but in ones of years" ...in that this global catastrophe is basically right around the corner setting the stage for NASA's latest solar storm warning for 2012-2013.

For the entire report:
http://www.SolarStormWarning.com

[SolarStormWarning]

09:59 AM on 07/12/2010

The issues and problem with solar storms is very real. In 2010 we had two misses from large x-class solar flares, one of which was among the largest ever on record. Don't get fooled into thinking that this is not something serious to be ready for like NASA tells us to.

On March 10th, 2006 NASA's own website issued a solar storm warning for 2012. Then in June of 2010 NASA reinforces their original 2006 warning telling the public to get ready for a once in a lifetime solar storm. Dr Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division said: "We know it's coming but we don't know how bad it's going to be." However, "the next solar maximum should be a doozy" says Dikpati. NASA say's the sun storm will be in full swing around 2012-2013, however the National Academy of Science says, "The solar storm could start any day now." "Who ever is right, the storm is coming!" says NASA.

What NASA is not outright telling the general population is that if the earth in fact gets a direct hit by a truly big solar storm producing super x-class solar flares, (Coronal Mass Ejection or CME) ...it will cripple the world in more ways then we can possibly imagine.

It will be one big nightmare if the earth takes a direct hit from a super CME, thus changing billions of lives forever.

http://www.SolarStormWarning.com
http://www.Solar-Storm-Warning.com

[arrgh]

02:16 PM on 06/18/2010

We must all go back to vacuum tubes!

Laptops the size of Volkswagens, but at least they'll work after the flare is over.

[ntn9]

07:46 PM on 06/17/2010

what happens to the offshore rigs?

[OneSweetGay]

03:56 PM on 06/16/2010

2012! The nutrinoes!!!

[mrjames1]

02:07 PM on 06/14/2010

1) peoples brains are not wired to think of the consequences of unlikely events (which is why they buy a house in a 100 year flood plain)
2) even when unlikely events unfold, many cannot think rationally (like when the 2004 tsunami hit, many did not seek higher ground)
3) very unlikely events frequently occur at 5x to 10x the expected rate (think of how many things have hit Jupiter in the past 20 years and what if one of those hit earth)

plan ahead people, take an hour...

[BZkCarter]

01:01 AM on 06/18/2010

Jupiter was aking for it though.

[Mishatherat]

06:12 PM on 06/24/2010

Yeah, it was wearing a short skirt..

[MNKen]

12:26 PM on 06/14/2010

Had a telemarketer warn me about this the other day. I have only a cell phone, no land line. She asked what I would do if solar flare, lightning or other things knocked out my cell service. Said I would use another phone at work or friend's house if any of them were still functional. She actually argued with me, insisting that I needed to install a land line just for this purpose. Poor girl must have been down on sales.

[Lore Splitt]

05:33 PM on 06/17/2010

It would knock out the landlines as well- they have a small electric current anyway, but- where do they think the signal's coming from? If that's affected, then there's no phone service...

[SolarStormWarning]

11:07 AM on 07/22/2010

You are absolutely correct. However phone companies do run their system on batteries, but the EMP effect could overload the batteries, causing them to burn up or short out. Even if the batteries survive, they will only last so many days before they go down, that is... unless the phone companies can gain access to plenty of fuel to keep their generators going and that's only if they still work in the event a truly powerful EMP hits us.

http://wwww.SolarStormWarning.com

[Mccall101]

08:53 AM on 06/14/2010

Is this what is supposed to happen in 2012? What exactly does all this mean about solar flares

[kcuttsjr]

09:56 PM on 06/18/2010

In 2012, writers and dreamers will have to dig for the next calamity to worry about. That's all.

[SolarStormWarning]

11:09 AM on 07/22/2010

The problem is very real. NASA posted a warning on their own website. You should also read up about the interstellar energy cloud that our sun has begun to pass through.

[chuck prebys]

03:22 AM on 06/14/2010

NASA is issuing a gentle warning for what will do us more damage to our fragile electronic networks than a whole mess of oil leaks.....

[santiago sherwood]

02:02 PM on 06/14/2010

the other side of it is if it charges up the atmosphere could it fix the Ozone layer?

[andyford23]

03:20 PM on 06/17/2010

THe ozone layer consists of 0^2 and solar storms and flares won't produce higher levels of 0^2 what it will do however is supercharge the atoms as well as disrupt the earth's natural electromagnetic field, as these solar flares produce massive amounts of energy.
Here's a blog entry from 2008 that shed's a little more light!
http://oilismastery.blogspot.com/2008/12/giant-breach-in-earths-magnetic-field.html

[WilliamTheV]

03:11 AM on 06/14/2010

gotta love Coronal Mass Ejections!

[goodog]

09:28 PM on 06/13/2010

Nostradamus predicts that a paternity test will prove Whit Johnson to be Rob Lowe and Anderson Cooper's love child channeling the wincing, squinty-eyed authenticity Joseph Fiennes brought to his FlashForward character.

[roninkai]

08:29 PM on 06/13/2010

Today, God threw the North American continent had a BBQ.

Sadly no one survived

[StonedAtheist]

10:35 PM on 06/13/2010

Well he couldn't very well do another flood now could he?

He has to keep up appearances after all.

Or so we've been told ad naseum.

[JLTurner]

07:04 PM on 06/13/2010

I'm glad to see some know of the 1859 flare. Something like that will cook all unhardened electronics, my opinion is this hope for the best prepair for the worst. And a bit of news you may or may not have heard of, Dec. 16, 2008: NASA's five THEMIS spacecraft have discovered a breach in Earth's magnetic field ten times larger than anything previously thought to exist.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2008/16dec_giantbreach/


If we take a hit, it will be unimaginable the result.

[govtmule]

03:55 AM on 06/14/2010

I keep a small handcranked generator and a shortwave radio inside a Faraday shielded box in my fallout shelter. I don't know why, really.

[JLTurner]

04:18 AM on 06/14/2010

I've got a bucket of things just in case. Hedging a bet ... in a way .

[Adam Bomb]

01:19 PM on 06/13/2010

The problem with problems such as this is that usually, unless you're a scientist specializing in said problem area, you're considered a loony if you actually speak realistically of needing to deal with said problem. Until said problem happens. I mean I suppose seriously, what are the governments going to spend their money on... the military and economic recovery or Solar Storm-proofing the Earth?

[goodog]

09:41 PM on 06/13/2010

you sound crazy!

[StonedAtheist]

10:33 PM on 06/13/2010

I am speechless.

Fav.

[Santo2]

10:00 AM on 06/13/2010

A little light on specifics, don't you think!!!!

Given the magnitude of such a happening, it would have been nice
to have had a little more in depth report.

Maybe it's just me. I'm funny like that. Facts are interesting. I'm a Democrat.

[CAHertzfe]

11:50 PM on 06/13/2010

Don't want to panic the people. There are not enough underground facilities for everyone to be protected from and such massive solar flare activity.