Sun-Earth connection

what is space weather?

does space weather affect us?

radio communication

power cuts

communicating with satellites

spacecraft damage and loss

danger to astronauts

power cuts

Have you ever had a power cut at home or school? They can sometimes happen in bad weather, when gales and strong winds blow down the electrical cables. They are usually quite local, just your village or town. We tend to sit around in the dark with some torches or candles. The lights, television, CD and video player, micro-wave, fridge and cooker all stop working. If you don't have any other form of energy supply, then you soon start to get bored, cold and hungry.

Space storms can also cause power cuts. The ionised particles in the space storm disrupt the Earth's magnetism and can cause huge surges of power in the electricity cables criss-crossing the country. These can actually burn out the cables or even the transformers at the electricity generating stations. In 1989, Quebec (a large part of Canada) was plunged into a full-scale power blackout as a result of a space storm. This lasted nine hours and affected six million people.



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