A recent research shed light on the efforts made by researchers from the U. S. and South Korea to protect astronauts from solar storms. It has been claimed that the team has managed to develop a warning system which would be able to predict the occurrence of such massive explosions some three hours (166 minutes) in advance. This would allow astronauts, and other crew members to take protective actions while they fly over Earth's Polar Regions.

"Traveling nearly at the speed of light, it takes just 10 minutes for the first particles ejected from a solar storm to reach Earth”, said Prof. John Bieber at UD's Bartol Research Institute, based in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, who led the research along with Su Yeon Oh, a postdoctoral researcher from Chungnam National University, at the University of Delaware.

For the research, data collected by two neutron monitors which were installed long time back at the South Pole by UD was used, so that intensity of the accelerated particles moving towards Earth from the solar storms can be determined.

It is believed that the sun as of now is moving into a peak period of solar storm activity, thereby threatening the electrical system on Earth from such solar flares.