Faster data transfer would allow new power maps every 10 minutes or so, Anderson says, possibly leading to a system to
warn electrical utilities and satellite operators about approaching hot spots.
Although these first images are smudgy, the technique could provide advance
warning that solar flares and storms will take aim at Earth —
warnings that could help
electrical utilities or satellite operators plan for possible disruptions and put key instruments into a safe mode, says Ernest Hildner, director of the Space Environment Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colorado.