NOAA's Space Environment Center was recently renamed the Space Weather Prediction Center to reflect the growing importance of space weather's effect on terra firma. "Our new name signals a new era in space weather awareness and the growing need for timely, accurate information and forecasts for our advanced-technology global economy," said Space Weather Prediction Center Director Thomas Bogdan.
Though it sounds like something from an episode of The Jetsons, space weather has an ever-expanding role in our daily lives as we become increasingly reliant on technology. Sun-related geomagnetic storms can collapse power grids; disrupt positioning signals; envelope the upper ...