August 2017
Big science from small spacecraft
... The Sun is a massive, roiling, dynamic object at the centre of our solar system. Energetic solar flares, known as Coronal Mass Ejections, shoot out beams of high-energy electrons that can go out far into interplanetary space. As they interact...
June 2014
In thrall to a star: understanding the Sun will help us understand our own climate and environment
... Earth’s space environment. Of particular concern are the transient sudden-onset events, the solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which release huge amounts of energy in a short time, imparting much of this to the Earth’s magnetic environment and...
May 2017
Humanity is moving towards a new reality
... space hazards can threaten global prosperity. A study by Lloyd’s of London, for example, has suggested that a massive coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun could result in a two trillion dollar hit to the North American electrical power...
September 2016
URBOCOP: saving planet Earth
.... Among these, I categorise the following seven as the most dangerous threats: Solar storms and flares, known as coronal mass ejections. Changes in Earth’s magnetosphere which result in the destruction of the protective shield that could deflect...
January 2019
Saving humanity – is space up to the job?
... a sophisticated electronic infrastructure that is highly vulnerable to cosmic dangers. Solar storms and especially coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can destroy electrical grids, telecommunication systems, pipelines, industrial control systems that run...
September 2019
Electric orbit raising and space weather
... During a radiation storm, high-energy charged particles ejected by the Sun can stream into the Earth’s ... of plasma are expelled from the Sun towards Earth in a coronal mass ejection, driving a shock wave. The Combined Release and Radiation Effects ...
