SINGAPORE - The largest solar flare in five years is expected to
disrupt power grids and communication networks across the world, say experts.
However, its impact here is likely to go unnoticed.
Meteorological and astronomy experts my paper spoke to said that the
flare may affect satellites, global positioning systems and radio
communication.
"Unlike other countries, where you have power grids and cables
running high above ground, ours are underground and, therefore, wouldn't be
exposed to the radiation as much," said Mr Alfred Tan, an astronomy
enthusiast specialising in sun analysis.
He shared his data and images of the Sun with the National University
of Singapore and the Astronomical Society of Singapore.
Another reason could lie in the Earth's own electromagnetic field,
which forms an added layer of protection against the radiation.
A series of activities within the Sun began on Sunday, when a large
flare was produced, along with a blast of plasma known as a coronal mass
ejection, reported Reuters yesterday.
Since then, several other flares and ejections have followed, hurtling
towards Earth at speeds of up to 6.4 million kmh. The report added that
commercial airlines have re-routed several aircraft from polar regions.
A Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore spokesman said that the impact
of solar flares on equatorial regions would be "minimal".
"Singapore's air-navigation and communications services have
built-in backup systems that can be immediately activated to ensure continued
safe flight operations," added the spokesman.
When contacted, telcos here said there was no reason to be concerned. A
StarHub spokesman said the company keeps its network infrastructure resilient
to ensure that "our services continue to be available to our customers in
almost all situations, including disasters and times of emergency".
An M1 spokesman said: "Solar flares and storms have occurred
before and...left no impact on any of our telecom networks. Hence, we are not
envisaging any disruption."
Daryll Nanayakara
my paper
AsiaOne
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