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The sun sends us light and energy, enabling life and growth. But it is also a major concern for scientists: gigantic, unpredictable solar storms are increasingly threatening our power supply and networks. The US space agency NASA has built a space probe to investigate the causes of the mysterious storm phenomena. The sun is our source of light and life - it sends us energy and warmth. But it is also a major concern for scientists: again and again, at irregular intervals of up to several years, it shoots out huge plasma storms, gigantic masses of particles that race through space without warning. The last major solar storm occurred in 2017, narrowly missing the Earth. The situation was very different in 2003, when the lights went out in Malmö, Sweden, due to overvoltages in transformers and Japan, for example, lost contact with two satellites. In 1989, solar storms caused a six-hour blackout in Canada, including a failure of the district heating supply in the middle of winter. Solar storms are currently unpredictable. The US space agency NASA has therefore built a space probe that flies closer to the sun than ever before. It is intended to explore the outer atmosphere, the corona, and collect scientific data for seven years. Experts from various countries are involved in the "Parker Solar Probe" mission, such as the German astrophysicist Volker Bothmer. At the same time, the European Space Agency ESA has also sent a probe to the sun, the "Solar Orbiter". This shows how serious the scientists are about their common goal: to better understand the sun and how its storms are formed. The first measurements and recordings already make it clear: the picture that researchers have had of the processes on the sun so far is apparently far too simplistic - the science documentary on ARTE about a mysterious phenomenon. Documentary by Lars Ole Reimer (D 2020, 53 min) #solarstorms #sun #universe Video available until 17/01/2025 Link to the media library: https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/086943-... Subscribe to ARTE's YouTube channel: / artede Follow us on social networks: Facebook: / arte.tv Twitter: / artede Instagram: / arte.tv