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Earth may not be able to dodge dangerous 'solar bullet' again

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ANI London
Last Updated : Aug 02 2014 | 12:55 PM IST

Scientists have recently revealed that Earth might not be able to avoid a solar flare, like it did in 2012, and it could leave the planet with devastating consequences.

The Earth could be the target of an explosion equivalent to "10 billion Hiroshima bombs exploding at the same time" and scientists warned that communication systems would be crippled, vital services such as transport, sanitation and medicine would close, and loss of power would plunge the planet into darkness, the Daily Express reported.

Ashley Dale, member of international task force SolarMAX set up to identify the risks of a solar storm, said that without power, people would struggle to fuel their cars at petrol stations, get money from cash dispensers or pay online.

The warning comes as Britain has experienced one of the hottest summers on record. Scientists have warned of "highly unusual activity" on the surface of the sun which has already sent smaller solar flares spiraling towards earth.

Scientists from SolarMAX gathered at the International Space University in France where they concluded advanced space-weather

Forecasting was the best solution. This would give around a week's notice of where and when solar storms would take place and exactly how bad they would be.

The study is published in the journal Physics World.

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First Published: Aug 02 2014 | 12:40 PM IST

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