Impending Solar Storms Threaten Internet Infrastructure

Solar activity is increasing faster than predicted, leading to concerns about a potential "internet apocalypse" caused by solar storms. While extreme space weather events can disrupt global internet connectivity, such events are rare and occur once every few centuries. Solar Cycle 25, which began in 2019, has shown higher activity than initially forecasted, but it is still expected to be average compared to previous cycles. The biggest solar storm ever observed, the Carrington Event in 1859, caused widespread disruptions to telegraph systems. Efforts are underway to better understand and predict space weather, including NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission.