What harm does solar magnetic storm do to human society?

Solar magnetic storms have a great influence on the power system on the earth.

The G5 magnetic storm with the highest intensity can affect voltage control and power protection equipment in a large area, and even cause the complete collapse of power system and the damage of power transformer. G5 geomagnetic storm may also destroy radio waves, telephone communication, Internet and global navigation satellite system, and make human life into chaos.

The biggest magnetic storm recorded so far is the carrington event in 1859. This super solar storm destroyed telegraph systems in Europe and North America, and aurora appeared in many parts of the world.

The formation of solar magnetic storms

The ejecta of solar flares often form a shock wave at its front, which propagates to the earth at the speed of 1000 km/s for about one day. The high-speed flow of the solar wind also forms a shock wave at its leading edge, and the pressure of the solar wind in the shock wave suddenly increases. When the shock wave sweeps across the earth, the magnetic field at the top of the magnetosphere increases. This change is transmitted to the ground through magnetic fluid waves, which shows that the magnetic field on the ground increases, which is the sudden start of magnetic storms.

After a sudden start, the magnetosphere is compressed, and when the compression is severe, the magnetosphere top can enter the synchronous orbit. At the same time, the convective electric field in the magnetosphere is enhanced. If the parameters of the solar wind behind the shock wave are relatively uniform, the magnetosphere will remain relatively stable after the explosion, which corresponds to the initial stage of the magnetic storm.