On the internet is currently flooded with written about Mayan predictions that have ever lived in southern Mexico or Guatemala about the Resurrection will happen on December 21, 2012. In the manuscript known ethnic heritage mastered astronomy and calendar systems are, on the date mentioned above will display a large galaxy waves resulting in cessation of all activities in the face of this Earth.

Outside the Mayan prophecy that the calculation basis is unknown, according to Deputy Information Science and Aerospace Studies, Institute of Aviation and Space Agency,a phenomenon that can be forecasted emergence in the year 2011-2012 was the storm the sun. This prediction based on the monitoring of space weather monitoring centers in several countries since the 1960s and in Indonesia by LAPAN since 1975.

Explained, Sri Kaloka, Head of Science Center for Space Utilization Lapan, a storm occurred when the sun comes flares and coronal Mass Ejection (CME). Flare is a large explosion in the atmosphere of the Sun’s power is equivalent to 66 million times a Hiroshima atomic bomb blast. The CME is a very big explosion that caused burst of particle-speed 400 kilometers per second.

Solar weather disturbances can affect the condition of space charge to the Earth’s magnetic influence, further impact on electrical systems, transportation, navigation satellites that rely on global positioning system (GPS) and communication systems that use satellite communications and high frequency (HF), and can endanger the lives of or human health. “Because the Earth’s magnetic interference, pacemaker users may experience significant disruption,” said Sri.

Anticipatory measures

From the sun, billions of electron particles into Earth’s ionosphere layer in four days, clear Jiyo Harjosuwito, Head of Research Group Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation. The impact of the invasion of electron particles in the Earth’s magnetic poles lasted for several days. During that time can be anticipatory steps to reduce its impact.

Anticipating the emergence of space storms, the continued Bambang, Lapan was building the center’s space weather monitoring system integrated in the Science Center Space Utilization Lapan Bandung. Object being monitored include the ionosphere and geomagnetik layers, as well as radio waves. This system will be fully operational in January 2009.
Anticipatory measures that have been made Lapan is contacting the parties who may be affected by the emergence of space storms, which Army, Department, PLN, and Depkominfo, and local governments. Currently training for government officials who operate the HF radio has been done long ago, now there are about 500 people who are trained to face the radio signal interference.

Bambang urged PLN to take anticipatory steps to make electricity system shutdown in order to avoid a worse impact. For that, socialization should be done in the community when the steps will be taken. In addition, aviation and shipping which relies on GPS satellites as a navigation system should use manual systems when space storms occurred, in guiding the takeoff or landing of aircraft.

Electron density changes due to space weather, researchers from the PPSA clear Lapan, Effendi, can change the speed of radio waves when passing through the ionosphere, causing the delai propagation of GPS signals. These changes resulted in deviations in the determination of distances and positions. In addition, microelectronics components in satellite navigation and communications will be damaged so that accelerated lifetime, so that it can no longer function.

Currently Lapan has developed a frequency-use planning models to deal with these problems for HF radio communications. “We have the same modeling prepared for the field of navigation,” said Bambang. via Kompas