Over the past few days, Earth has experienced a substantial solar storm, serving as a vivid reminder of the Sun's profound effect on our planet.
This latest storm created stunning auroras visible far beyond their usual range and disrupted satellites, including Elon Musk’s Starlink fleet.
Northern lights were being reported by residents in North America, India, Tasmania and Europe, with thousands of images posted on social media.
While it was the most intense solar storm to strike Earth in the past two decades, there have been even stronger ones in the past that caused chaos because of infrastructural damage and caused auroras in unusual locations.
The Carrington Event of 1859
The most powerful solar storm on record, the Carrington Event, took place in early September 1859.
An intense white light flare was erupted by the Sun, which was followed by a massive coronal mass ejection, or charged particles, that reached Earth in about 17 hours.
The geomagnetic storm caused spectacular auroras visible as far south as the Caribbean.
Telegraph systems around the world failed, with some operators reporting sparks and fires from their equipment.
This event highlighted the potential for solar activity to disrupt technology and served as an early wake-up call for the field of space weather forecasting.
The event was named after British astronomer Richard Carrington, who was the one to discover the solar flare that caused the storm.
The Quebec blackout of 1989
Another significant solar storm struck in March 1989, causing a massive power cut in Quebec, Canada.
A coronal mass ejection hit the planet, including currents that overwhelmed the province’s power grid.
Quebec was plunged into darkness for more than nine hours, affecting millions of people and causing economic losses that were estimated to be at hundreds of millions of dollars.
The storm also caused minor disruptions in other parts of North America and Europe.
This event showed how vulnerable modern infrastructure can still really be to space weather.
Halloween storms of 2003
The storms started on October 19 in 2003 and peaked around Halloween, earning its name after the celebration.
These storms were caused from several coronal mass ejections rapidly launched from the Sun.
It caused widespread auroras, visible as far south as Texas and Florida, and disrupted satellite communications, GPS systems and power grids.
Planes were rerouted to avoid high radiation levels and astronauts on the International Space Station had to take shelter from increased radiation.
The Bastille Day Event of 2000
The Bastille Day Event, named after the French national holiday on July 14, happened in 2000 and was known to be the most powerful solar storms of the first space era at the time.
A massive solar flare had erupted, followed by a coronal mass ejection, that reached Earth about 24 hours later.
The storm caused intense auroras visible across Europe and North America and temporarily disabled some satellites.
It also disrupted radio communications and GPS signals, causing issues for aviation and maritime navigation.
August 1972 storm
The solar storm of August 1972 took place during a period of heightened solar activity and had significant implications for military and civilian technology.
Between August 2 and August 11, 1972, a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections bombarded Earth.
The resulting geomagnetic storms disrupted communications and radar systems used during the Vietnam War, leading to a pause in naval operations.
Auroras were observed at unusually low latitudes, and some satellites suffered damage from increased radiation levels.
The New York Railroad storm of 1921
One of the lesser known but highly impactful solar storms happened in May 1921, affecting the north-eastern US and parts of Europe.
A powerful coronal mass ejection struck Earth, causing geomagnetic disturbances.
Telegraph and telephone lines were disrupted, with some stations experiencing fires due to induced electric currents.
It also caused widespread railway signal failures, leading to transport disruptions.
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The biog
Name: Sarah Al Senaani
Age: 35
Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2
Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism
Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding
Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier
Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Price: From Dh149,900
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Valencia v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Mallorca v Alaves (4pm)
Barcelona v Getafe (7pm)
Villarreal v Levante (9.30pm)
Sunday
Granada v Real Volladolid (midnight)
Sevilla v Espanyol (3pm)
Leganes v Real Betis (5pm)
Eibar v Real Sociedad (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (midnight)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
