How the weather in space can affect us on Earth - and the team trying to protect us
The UK Met Office is collaborating with Aberystwyth University to improve space weather forecasting to protect vital infrastructure like GPS and power grids. Severe solar activity poses a significant economic risk, estimated at trillions of dollars globally.
Why it matters
Space weather events can cause catastrophic failures in modern technology, making accurate forecasting a critical component of national and global security.
Richard Stone's forecasting team operates 24/7, every day of the year [BBC] At the Met Office headquarters, the screens in one corner of the control centre are focussed on close up imagery of the Sun.
It is here that a space weather prediction team, one of only a small number worldwide, operates 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.
The weather in space has the potential to impact our lives here on Earth in a fundamental way. GPS, power grids and satellites are some of the vital technologies vulnerable to changes in the earth's magnetic field.
As a result, the Met Office has turned to Aberystwyth University researchers to help them improve their space weather forecasting abilities.
Monitoring the activity on the surface of the Sun in the Met Office control room [BBC]
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