"Unleashing Chaos: The Potential 'Internet Apocalypse' Triggered by a Solar Superstorm"

A strong solar storm hitting Earth could potentially cause a widespread internet outage, as magnetic fields unleashed by a solar superstorm could disrupt human infrastructure. Experts warn that our interconnected world may not be adequately prepared for such an event, which has not yet occurred in the digital age. Severe solar storms have historically caused disruptions, such as the Carrington Event in 1859 and a storm that took out the Quebec power grid in 1989. As the sun enters a particularly active period known as the "solar maximum" in 2025, concerns are growing about the vulnerability of our internet infrastructure. Research on widespread internet failure due to solar storms is limited, and the potential economic impact of even a single day of lost connectivity in the United States is estimated to be over $11 billion. Governments and companies need to pay attention to this threat and plan defenses to ensure the long-term resilience of the internet.