In May this year, the world marvelled at stunning auroras lighting up the night sky. But while social media feeds filled with images of green, pink, and purple skies, scientists were on high alert, protecting the technology that allows us to share these wonders.
The solar storms behind these displays posed significant threats to satellites and power grids, leading to potentially costly consequences.
Dr Guifré Molera Calvés from the University of Tasmania explained that space weather events, including geomagnetic storms like the one that caused the May auroras, are on the rise due to our current solar cycle.
"These cycles peak around every 11 years, and we are currently nearing a solar maximum expected around 2025. This increase in solar activity brings both spectacular auroras and heightened risks to our technology," Dr Molera Calvés said.
On 9 May, a massive sunspot, 15 times the diameter of Earth, caught researchers' attention, setting the stage for solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) - intense bursts of solar wind. Two days later, a CME hit Earth's magnetosphere, creating the spectacular auroras but also risking a geomagnetic storm.
"Geomagnetic storms can disrupt satellites, power grids, and electronic systems, causing millions of dollars in damage and repair costs," explained University of Tasmania Researcher Jasper Edwards.
Pioneering research at the University of Tasmania is at the forefront of understanding how space weather impacts Earth's infrastructure. Using radio science experiments with planetary spacecraft, researchers are studying how CMEs form, propagate, and affect the solar system.
"This research is crucial for improving our ability to predict space weather events and mitigate their impact. We're not just interested in the auroras themselves but in understanding the solar events that cause them," Mr Edwards said.
"By studying CMEs and their interactions within the heliosphere, we aim to predict these events more accurately and protect vulnerable ground and space-based assets."
The University of Tasmania collaborates with several key international space missions including European Space Agency's Mars Express, BepiColombo, and JUICE.
"The UTAS space weather group, comprised of three PhD and one Honours student, has direct access to space mission data to study the Sun and collect their own mission data with UTAS infrastructure," Dr Molera Calvés said.
"This research helps us understand the behaviour of the solar wind and associated magnetic fields, especially during CMEs," Mr Edwards said.
"Our goal is to use this research to inform predictions and CME modelling by institutions like the Bureau of Meteorology. This will eventually help everyone make confident decisions about their space or ground-based assets—or even help aurora chasers plan their next photo opportunity."
While these natural light shows inspire awe, the underlying solar activity can have far-reaching and costly consequences for our modern world.
As our reliance on satellite technology grows, understanding and preparing for space weather events becomes crucial to mitigate their potentially devastating impacts and ensure the resilience of our modern world.
