As our digital world becomes ever more vulnerable to the Sun’s tempestuous moods, scientists are racing against time to predict and prepare for the next giant solar storm. This talk explores how two spacecraft are teaming up to give us precious minutes, even hours, of warning—and what we could do with that extra time.
Join Professor Tim Horbury, space physicist at Imperial College London and mission scientist for NASA’s IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), as he explains how cutting-edge space missions like Solar Orbiter and IMAP will help us understand and anticipate space weather events that could disrupt power grids, satellites, and global communications.
Discover:
- What causes coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and why they matter
- How the solar wind, magnetosphere, and heliosphere interact with Earth
- The role of instruments like magnetometers and plasma sensors in forecasting storms
- How early warnings could protect critical infrastructure
From the shimmering aurora to the invisible forces shaping our technological future, this talk reveals why time is our most valuable resource when facing the Sun’s fury.
This event is part of the programme for Imperial Lates: About time – a free evening of timely science, art and entertainment exploring the mysteries and mechanics of time: from the birth of the universe to the future of time-saving tech.