Satellites will save us from solar flares

A CONSORTIUM of the world's space research agencies are to launch the first of three satellites designed to create an early warning system against solar flares this week.

The oddly titled Solar B will be the first of three satellites designed to study such flares, said The Times of London. Next month two probes, the Stereo mission will also be launched.

Solar flares can cause huge amounts of damage to satellites and radio networks, but boffins are at a loss to work out how to predict them.

Chris Davis, of Britain's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, said that the three satellites will lead to a point where boffins can predict them days beforehand and be prepared. Although how you prepare for something like this sort of sticking a paper bag on your head, he didn't say.

They will find out what happens on the sun's surface just before solar flares erupt. This assumes that they will not be knocked out by the solar flare themselves.

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