A Nasa image shows a solar flare just as sunspot 1105 was turning away from Earth last September. Scientists expect a new storm cycle to peak within two years.
A Nasa image shows a solar flare just as sunspot 1105 was turning away from Earth last September. Scientists expect a new storm cycle to peak within two years.
A Nasa image shows a solar flare just as sunspot 1105 was turning away from Earth last September. Scientists expect a new storm cycle to peak within two years.
A Nasa image shows a solar flare just as sunspot 1105 was turning away from Earth last September. Scientists expect a new storm cycle to peak within two years.

How Nasa is using artificial intelligence to prepare for solar storms


Sarwat Nasir
  • English
  • Arabic

Nasa has developed a new computer model that uses artificial intelligence and satellite data to give warnings of solar storms 30 minutes before they hit.

The Deep Learning Geomagnetic Perturbation, or Dagger, can accurately predict geomagnetic disturbances worldwide in advance, providing crucial time to minimise their impact.

Solar storms are a threat to Earth because they can damage satellites, cause power cuts and disrupt other technologies.

They happen when solar wind — energetic bursts from solar eruptions — hits Earth's magnetic field, which is what creates 'northern lights' and 'southern lights' in some parts of the world.

“With this AI, it is now possible to make rapid and accurate global predictions and inform decisions in the event of a solar storm, thereby minimising — or even preventing — devastation to modern society,” said Vishal Upendran of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in India.

The model produces predictions in less than a second that are updated every minute.

Researchers have harnessed AI to look for connections between solar wind and geomagnetic disturbances.

They have been using previous instances of when a solar storm caused disturbances on Earth to help the computer pattern recognise patterns.

In 1989, a destructive solar storm caused electrical blackouts across Quebec, Canada, for 12 hours, affecting business, schools and daily lives.

The most intense solar storm ever recorded was the Carrington Event of 1859, as it sparked fires at telegraph stations and prevented messages from being sent.

Nasa said if that same happened today, the impact would be much more severe, with widespread electrical disruptions, persistent blackouts and breaks in global communications.

“Such technological chaos could cripple economies and endanger the safety and livelihoods of people worldwide,” the space agency said.

Dagger's computer code is open source, which means it can be adopted by power grid operators, satellite controllers and telecoms companies.

Nasa said the advance warnings that Dagger provides could give companies and governments time to protect their infrastructure from an impending solar storm.

“With models like Dagger, there could one day be solar storm sirens that sound an alarm in power stations and satellite control centres around the world, just as tornado sirens wail in advance of threatening terrestrial weather in towns and cities across America,” Nasa said.

AI has been used in solar storm-predicting technology before, but this is the first time AI and real-time satellite data are being used together to make advanced predictions.

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Range: 400km

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Torque: 175Nm

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Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

The story in numbers

18

This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens

450,000

More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps

1.5 million

There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m

73

The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association

18,000

The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme

77,400

The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study

4,926

This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee

Final scores

18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)

- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)

-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)

-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)

-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)

-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

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Jetour T1 specs

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Semi-final fixtures

Portugal v Chile, 7pm, today

Germany v Mexico, 7pm, tomorrow

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20WallyGPT%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2014%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaeid%20and%20Sami%20Hejazi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%247.1%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%20round%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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HIJRA

Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy

Director: Shahad Ameen

Rating: 3/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Results

5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m; Winner: Mcmanaman, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)

6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Bawaasil, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson

6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Bochart, Fabrice Veron, Satish Seemar

7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Mutaraffa, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Rare Ninja, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alfareeq, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Zorion, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi

 

Updated: April 09, 2023, 10:13 AM`