Page 29 - EngineerIT August-September 2025

SCIENCE

While a flare alone produces high-energy When a CME reaches the Earth, its impact disturbs the Earth's
particles near the Sun, some of which escape into magnetosphere, setting off a geomagnetic storm. A CME typically
interplanetary space, a CME drives a shock wave takes 3 to 5 days to reach the Earth after it leaves the Sun therefore
which can continuously produce energetic particles observing the associated solar flare or the ejection of CMEs from
as it propagates through interplanetary space. the Sun provides an early warning of geomagnetic storms.

One serious problem that can occur during a geomagnetic storm
is damage to Earth-orbiting satellites. Either the satellite becomes
highly charged during the storm and a component is damaged by
the high current that discharges into the satellite, or a component
is damaged by high-energy particles that penetrate the satellite.

Another major problem that has occurred during geomagnetic
storms has been the temporary loss of electrical power over a
large region. The best-known case of this occurred in 1989 in
Quebec. High currents in the magnetosphere induce high currents
in power lines, blowing out electric transformers and power
stations.

Wolfgang Gleissberg was professor of astronomy at Istanbul
University and director of the observatory. He achieved special
merits in the field of sunspot research. Among other things, he
discovered the 80–90-year Gleissberg cycle, which is named after
On 17 June 2025 NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory
captured this image of a solar flare — seen as the bright him. Based on the different spot cycles, he created a prediction
flash near the middle of the image. Credit NASA/SDO method of solar activity.

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