The Sun powers life on Earth, but under the right conditions it can also disrupt the technology that modern civilization depends on. Massive solar eruptions can send billions of tons of charged particles racing through space, and when those particles collide with Earth's magnetic field, the results can range from beautiful auroras to widespread technological disruption.

In this episode, we explore the science behind solar storms, coronal mass ejections, geomagnetic disturbances, and space weather. We examine how powerful solar events can affect satellites, GPS systems, communication networks, power grids, undersea cable infrastructure, and the global internet. We also look at historic solar storms, including events that disrupted telegraph networks, and what engineers are doing today to protect critical systems from future solar activity. ...