Getting Ready for the Next Big Solar Storm

In Sept. 1859, on the eve of a below-average solar cycle, the sun unleashed one of the most powerful storms in centuries. The underlying flare was so unusual, researchers still aren't sure how to categorize it. The blast peppered Earth with the most energetic protons in half-a-millennium, induced electrical currents that set telegraph offices on fire, and sparked Northern Lights over Cuba and Hawaii.

This week, officials have gathered at the National Press Club in Washington DC to ask themselves a simple question: What if it happens again?

Footnote: The solar cycle of 1859 (Solar Cycle 10) was typical of 19th century solar cycles--that is to say, weak. Solar cycles of the 19th century were far below average compared to the intense solar cycles of the Space Age. Solar Cycle 24, in progress now, is a throw-back, expected to be similar in sunspot count to Solar Cycle 10.
[link to science.nasa.gov]