A striking full-disk view of the sun as it unleashed a major X1.1 class solar flare from an active sunspot cluster on April 17, 2022. This view was taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. Just incredible!
Safer train travel requires really keeping an eye on solar storms, according to a compelling new study. The sun’s powerful eruptions could cause accidents during peak train-travel times by interfering with electrical signaling stations, potentially switching railroad indicators from red (stop) to green (go), the research cites.
“This is obviously very significant from a safety perspective,” study lead author Cameron Patterson, a physics researcher at Lancaster University in England, said in a statement on Monday (Dec. 11). “We found that space weather events, capable of triggering faults in these track circuits, are expected in the U.K. every few decades.”
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So, let’s really keep those eyes peeled and stay on top of those tracking solar storms, as we appreciate the wonderful ride and benefits of train travel!