Could a solar flare be strong enough to knock out the power grid mobile towers and the world's internet connections sending us back to the stone age?
How can a solar storm effect modern technologies?
26-30, M
ArishMell · 70-79, M
No. It could cause local or regional disruption, even damage, but not destroy everything.
The flare is a stream of electrically-charged sub-atomic particles that can induce electrical pulses in the circuits, overloading or burning them out. The atmosphere screens most of them out normally but a sufficiently large flare can still break through.
How much damage is caused is also affected by how well the equipment is protected. Most international telecommunications use undersea cables. The aeriel towers are largely local.
The power grids are usually protected to a large extent because they need withstand lightning strikes and accidents, far more likely risks than solar flare pulses. The primary ones are fitted with circuit-breakers, flash-over points and similar; but low-voltage local circuits using overhead lines might be more vulnerable.
Even a really widespread breakdown would not regress us to the "Stone Age", either.
The flare is a stream of electrically-charged sub-atomic particles that can induce electrical pulses in the circuits, overloading or burning them out. The atmosphere screens most of them out normally but a sufficiently large flare can still break through.
How much damage is caused is also affected by how well the equipment is protected. Most international telecommunications use undersea cables. The aeriel towers are largely local.
The power grids are usually protected to a large extent because they need withstand lightning strikes and accidents, far more likely risks than solar flare pulses. The primary ones are fitted with circuit-breakers, flash-over points and similar; but low-voltage local circuits using overhead lines might be more vulnerable.
Even a really widespread breakdown would not regress us to the "Stone Age", either.
No