Yari Collado-Vega, together with his colleagues, tries to predict when the next solar storm may come, in order to protect satellites and astronauts, among other things.
– Astronauts can be exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation. We have to make sure they are safe in space, so we need to be able to predict such events, she says.
– We can be hit by a solar storm at any time. They occur quite often.
“20 minutes notice”
Solar storms also need to be predicted so that we can protect society. British meteorologist Simon Machin informs government authorities about the threat posed by space weather.
– We must be able to predict when they will possibly reach the earth and how serious the consequences can befall us, he says.
He tells us that the slower solar storms can give us three or four days’ notice before they strike.
– But the faster ones only give us 15-18 hours notice.
And some travel so fast that we only get a few minutes’ notice.
– In the worst case, we only get 20 minutes’ notice to prepare for what might happen.
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