Even if this weekend’s solar storm destroyed civilization, Bitcoin would survive

The sun can produce massive flares of particles and radiation that can have a significant impact on Earth. Scientists have studied these flares for 150 years, focusing on what’s considered the largest such event of all time: the Carrington Event of 1859, named after British astronomer Richard Carrington.

The sun erupted and pumped enough energy into our planet’s magnetic field to ignite a massive geomagnetic storm and auroral display. Telegraph lines burst into flames, and the event was reported globally. Back then, electronic systems were not the center of daily life. Today, a Carrington-sized event could completely alter the complexion of daily life.

Mississippi State University professor David Wallace wrote on Astronomy.com the potential ramifications could be disastrous:

“It is only a matter of time before Earth is hit by another geomagnetic storm. A Carrington Event-size storm would be extremely damaging to the electrical and communication systems worldwide with outages lasting into the weeks. If the storm is the size of the Miyake Event, the results would be catastrophic for the world with potential outages lasting months if not longer.”

That time could be this weekend. A huge solar storm is barrelling into Earth, bringing the threat of possible disruptions to satellites and power grids. As the world faces a “severe” geomagnetic storm, according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, infrastructure operators are on edge due to the possible fallout of the solar event, which has significant implications for the crypto industry.

As the first of six solar waves hit, the Earth was already experiencing a G4 electromagnetic storm–the highest in 19 years. The present storm affecting electronics, etc. would not be entirely unprecedented, as geomagnetic storms rated as “extreme” led to blackouts in Sweden and damaged power transformers in South Africa in October 2003.

Scientists warn that these events happen at higher frequencies than believed and could be catastrophic. For instance, tree rings studied by scientists revealed two solar solid proton events that happened in 7176 and 5259 BCE, which were not previously known.

Solar storms of increasing frequency have implications for the electronics on which crypto depends. Geomagnetic storms can disrupt satellite communications and power grids. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) could damage computer hardware. These sudden bursts of energy can release radiation across the…