Why space weather matters on Earth, and the team trying to protect us
The BBC reports on the Met Office's 24/7 space weather monitoring efforts, highlighting the vulnerability of Earth's technology to solar flares. Researchers are working to mitigate the potential multi-trillion dollar economic impact of severe solar events.
Why it matters
Understanding solar activity is essential for protecting the interconnected global power and communication grids that underpin modern society.
Image caption, Richard Stone's forecasting team operates 24/7, every day of the year
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.
Image caption, Monitoring the activity on the surface of the Sun in the Met Office control room
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