NASA’s New AI System Gives 30-Minute Warning Before CMEs Strike Earth

NASA has built an artificial intelligence system that analyzes satellite data to provide advance warning, like a tornado siren for life-threatening tornados, pinpointing exactly where solar storms will wreak havoc on Earth. 

The AI system analyzes spacecraft measurements of electrically charged plasma from the Sun, also known as coronal mass ejection, and will be able to determine exactly where the space weather will strike Earth within 30 minutes before impact. Such an early warning system could help power grid operators and others managing critical systems, such as ground and space-based communication devices, take preventive action before a storm arrives. 

Although these geomagnetic storms vary in intensity from mild to severe, their impact could become disruptive in a world heavily reliant on advanced microchips. Take, for instance, these space weather events:

For example, a destructive solar storm in 1989 caused electrical blackouts across Quebec for 12 hours, plunging millions of Canadians into the dark and closing schools and businesses. The most intense solar storm on record, the Carrington Event in 1859, sparked fires at telegraph stations and prevented messages from being sent. If the Carrington Event happened today, it would have even more severe impacts, such as widespread electrical disruptions, persistent blackouts, and interruptions to global communications. Such technological chaos could cripple economies and endanger the safety and livelihoods of people worldwide. -NASA

We have warned over the years that the risk of a devastating CME strike on Earth is increasing as we next “solar maximum” – a peak in the Sun’s 11-year activity cycle approaches. 

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In late March, Earth was blasted with the strongest geomagnetic storm in six years. It generated auroras across North America, but there were no reports of communication blackouts. 

Recall the federal government began to prepare the nation for a space weather disaster in 2016 with the executive order signed by the Obama Administration titled “Coordinating Efforts to Prepare the Nation for Space Weather Events.”