Who to call, where, and when?

[MikeAlpha3041]

In 1977, a CME knocked out a communications satellite and silenced pagers all over the world.

A direct hit by a CME in 1989 knocked out power to Quebec and produced significant damage to satellites orbiting the earth.

The Sun's record-breaking "sleep" ended in 2010. We are now in Solar Cycle 24, headed for a peak solar maximum next year. When it arrives, the peak of the 11-year sunspot cycle will bring more solar flares, CMEs, and geomagnetic storms. That being said, some experts predict that this cycle may be exceptionally quiet, producing a lower number of sunspots than the average cycle. Of course, even a below-average sunspot count does not preclude us from a large solar flare—which could cause billions of dollars in damage to the world's high-tech infrastructure which is extreme susceptible to electromagnetic damage.