On March 13, 1989 the entire province of Quebec, Canada suffered an electrical power blackout. Hundreds of blackouts occur in some part of North America every year. The Quebec Blackout was different, because this one was ...
Space Exploration
Mar 13, 2009
1
1
On March 23, sky observers marveled at a gorgeous display of northern and southern lights. It was reminder that when our sun gets active, it can spark a phenomenon called "space weather." Aurorae are among the most benign ...
Planetary Sciences
Apr 3, 2023
0
116
Anyone who uses multithreaded computer programs -- and that's all of us, as these are the programs that power nearly all software applications including Office, Windows, MacOS, and Google Chrome Browser, and web services ...
Computer Sciences
Nov 2, 2011
14
0
(Phys.org) —Solar storms—powerful eruptions of solar material and magnetic fields into interplanetary space—can cause what is known as "space weather" near Earth, resulting in hazards that range from interference with ...
Space Exploration
Sep 26, 2013
2
85
A 'great' space weather super-storm large enough to cause significant disruption to our electronic and networked systems occurred on average once in every 25 years, according to a new joint study by the University of Warwick ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 29, 2020
4
569
The nation's electric grid isn't something most of us think about very often, except when an event such as the infamous 2003 blackout in the northeast takes place.
Energy & Green Tech
Mar 5, 2012
0
0
Each summer, power grids are pushed to their limits, as homes and offices crank up the air conditioning in response to rising temperatures. A single failure in the system—such as a downed power line or a tripped relay—can ...
Energy & Green Tech
Jul 1, 2013
0
0
(Phys.org)—The 1918 outbreak of Spanish flu was so unlike other pandemics that it is analogous to a massive natural disaster. The H1N1 virus infected an estimated 500 million people and killed 100 million by some estimates. ...
Every hundred years or so, a solar storm comes along so potent it fills the skies of Earth with blood-red auroras, makes compass needles point in the wrong direction, and sends electric currents coursing through the planet's ...
Space Exploration
Oct 26, 2010
5
0
An ageing Belgian nuclear reactor shut down on Saturday afternoon, just three days after it was restarted, but there was no safety risk, the power utility that operates it said.
Energy & Green Tech
Jan 2, 2016
14
21
