Scientists concerned by solar flares
WASHINGTON D.C. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Solar flares are something you probably never think about, but it could have a big impact on your life.
Tuesday scientists met in Washington D.C. to discuss what could happen when solar activity picks up in a few years.
It goes in 11 year cycles and the next big flare-up is expected in 2013.
Scientists say it could knock out communications satellites, meaning your cell phone and GPS would be out of commission.
We spoke with Doctor Paul Pancella, the head of WMU's Physics Department. He says the bigger concern is that it could take down a power grid, causing massive blackouts across a large part of the country.
"The biggest fear is that we could have widespread power outages for a long period of time. People have to know what they would do in that case," said Dr. Pancella.
Doctor Pancella says there are safety precautions in place to make sure that does not happen, but it is still possible.
He does say that the chances of solar flares causing major problems are pretty slim because a lot of different factors would have to line up perfectly.
