Category Sunspot

The White House is preparing for catastrophic solar flares

A big enough solar flare could wipe out electricity on Earth. The White House announced Thursday it wants to be ready (AP Photo/NASA) If a giant solar flare hit the Earth, it could knock out the entire power grid, meaning…

Is the Earth’s protective magnetic field about to DIE? Study finds fading forces are far older than thought

Earth’s magnetic field has been a life preserver, protecting against relentless solar winds, streams of charged particles rushing from the Sun, that otherwise could strip away the planet’s atmosphere and water.   ‘It would be a pretty barren planet without…

Earth’s protective shield ‘Magnetosphere’ is weakening

Earth’s protective shield is slowly weakening, allowing harmful solar winds to penetrate the atmosphere Earth’s protective shield is slowly weakening, allowing harmful solar winds to penetrate the planet’s atmosphere.   Known as the magnetosphere, this shield extends thousands of miles…