NASA: Space storm could devastate technology use

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Everyday electronics and communications could be severely disrupted once the sun awakes from a “deep slumber” around 2013, NASA scientists have predicted.

Researchers say that devices from computers to Sat Navs may be damaged when magnetic energy from solar flares reaches unprecedented levels, potentially causing widespread economic devastation, the Daily Telegraph has reported.

Significant levels of radiation will be produced when the Sun’s magnetic energy cycle hits its peak and the number of sun spots reaches a maximum as well, according to Dr Richard Fisher, the director of NASA's Heliophysics division.

This double whammy happens every 22 years, but despite this knowledge scientists are unsure how bad this space storm will be, Dr Fisher told the paper.

“It will disrupt communication devices such as satellites and car navigations, air travel, the banking system, our computers, everything that is electronic. It will cause major problems for the world,” Dr Fisher said.

“Systems will just not work. The flares change the magnetic field on the earth that is rapid and like a lightning bolt. That is the solar affect,” he explained.

The situation appears to be considerably more serious than the last time this happened, as Dr Fisher pointed to modern society's widespread dependence on electronics and satellites.

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