The weather is important to everyone. Will it rain today, will I need a jacket? But what is space weather? Is there really “weather” in outer space? Isn’t space almost a perfect vacuum? UCLA has been studying this for some time and recently completed a study that sheds important light on space weather.
Solar storms — powerful eruptions of solar material and magnetic fields into interplanetary space — can cause what is known as “space weather” near Earth, resulting in hazards that range from interference with communications systems and GPS errors to extensive power blackouts and the complete failure of critical satellites.