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Dark Spots On The Sun Could Cause A Worldwide Blackout
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Dark Spots On The Sun Could Cause A Worldwide Blackout

52 MIN · EN · STATUS: [ STREAMING ]
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In March 1989, a solar disturbance knocked out power to six million people in Quebec in just 92 seconds, and this film uses that blackout as the entry point into the physics of solar storms. It follows researchers running liquid sodium experiments designed to recreate the Sun's internal dynamo, watching how twisted magnetic fields build tension before snapping into flares and coronal mass ejections. Scientists explain why satellite operators monitoring these eruptions may have only a 15-minute warning before a wave of charged particles reaches Earth, and how atmospheric expansion from a major storm can drag satellites out of orbit. The film also tracks the century-old mystery of sunspots, the dark patches on the Sun's surface tied to this magnetic activity, and the ongoing effort to forecast storm speed and timing before the next big one arrives. It closes on an open question: whether a calming solar cycle actually buys modern infrastructure any real safety margin.

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Film facts

Runtime compared with the other 800 Science films
Runtime52 m
Compared with ScienceLonger than 66%
Source channelSpark (YouTube)