By Bob McDonald, Quirks & Quarks

The Sun threw the largest storm in a decade our way this week, but there was little reported damage thanks to improved space weather forecasts and better preparedness on the ground.

Our Sun is entering an active phase of its natural cycle where storms erupt more frequently on its surface, occasionally hurling massive clouds of electrically charged particles at the Earth. It's a cycle that happens every 11 years, and this year we were ready for it.

When a similar storm struck in 1989, an enormous blob of material called a Coronal Mass Ejection that was many times larger than our entire planet erupted from the Sun. When this blast of electrically charged particles struck the Earth's magnetic field, the field shimmied like the proverbial bowl of jelly. This movement of the magnetic bubble turned it into a huge generator. By the process of electromagnetic induction, it then was able to produce electric currents in any large conductor laying within it.

Unfortunately, for people living in Quebec, the largest conductor in the country was a set of power lines stretching hundreds of kilometers across the province from the newly built James Bay Hydro Project to cities in the south. The extra current generated by the solar storm overpowered the lines, casting most of the province into darkness.

And this was not the only time we were vicitimized by solar storms. A few years later Canada's Anik communications satellite was knocked out of commission by a similar event.

We learned our lesson, though. Since then, solar storms no longer arrive without warning, thanks to a series of satellites specifically designed to study the Sun 24/7.

On Jan. 22, scientists using the the Solar Dynamics Observatory, Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and Stereo spacecraft spotted a large eruption on the surface of the Sun. These eruptions happen all the time and usually blow their energetic protons out into empty space. But this one happened to be pointed in the direction of the Earth.

The scientists were able to measure the size, direction and speed of the Coronal Mass Ejection and issued a warning that it would  arrive here roughly three days later.

The storm struck within 13 minutes of the prediction. That's better than forecasts made by meteorologists who estimate when hurricanes will strike land.

Warnings were sent to operators of satellites, who shut down delicate systems during the storm.  The crew of the International Space Station battened down the hatches so as to avoid being exposed to extra radiation. Airlines in Canada and Europe flew more southerly routes. Power utilities kept and eye out for power spikes so their systems didn't get overwhelmed. 

The result?

Not much really. 

There were a few power fluctuations and some bad data from satellites for a while, but nothing the systems couldn't handle. 

The most dramatic effect was spectacular displays of northern lights, which were stimulated by the rain of charged particles cascading down through our atmosphere.

This is a great example of science recognizing a hazardous situation in nature and coming up with ways to live with it. The Sun is our only star, and the reason we are able to exist on this planet. But it's a violent place and solar storms will occasionally throw hot pieces of star stuff at us. Thanks to the relatively new science of space weather prediction we can now see the storms coming and take appropriate precautions.

Now if we could only be as accurate predicting earthquakes...