The energy of the Sun has an ambiguous effect on our planet. It gives us warmth, but at the same time it can negatively affect people's well-being. One of the reasons for the negative impact is solar flares. How do they happen? What are the consequences?
Sun and solar flare
The sun is the only star in our system, which from it received the name "solar". It has a huge mass and, thanks to strong gravity, holds all the planets of the solar system around it. A star is a ball of helium, hydrogen, and other elements (sulfur, iron, nitrogen, etc.) that are found in smaller amounts.
The sun is the main source of light and heat on Earth. This happens as a result of constant thermonuclear reactions, which are often accompanied by flares, the appearance of black spots, coronal ejections.
Solar flares occur over black spots, radiating large amounts of energy. Their effects were formerly attributed to the action of the spots themselves. The phenomenon was discovered in 1859, but many processesrelated to it are only being studied.
Solar flares: photo and description
The effect of the phenomenon is short - just a few minutes. In fact, a solar flare is a powerful explosion that covers all the atmospheric layers of the star. They appear as a small prominence that flashes violently, emitting X-rays, radio and ultraviolet rays.
The sun rotates around its axis unevenly. At the poles, its movement is slower than at the equator, so twisting occurs in the magnetic field. An explosion occurs when the tension in the "twisting" places is too strong. At this time, billions of megatons of energy are released. Typically, flashes occur in the neutral region between black spots of different polarity. Their character is determined by the phase of the solar cycle.
Depending on the strength of the X-ray emission and brightness at the peak of activity, flares are divided into classes. Power is measured in watts per square meter. The strongest solar flare belongs to the X class, the average is denoted by the letter M, and the weak one is C. Each of them is 10 times different from the previous one in rank.
Earth Impact
It takes about 7-10 minutes before the Earth feels the effects of the explosion on the Sun. During the flare, plasma is ejected along with the radiation, which is formed into plasma clouds. The solar wind carries them towards the Earth, causing magnetic storms on our planet.
In outer space, an explosion increases the radiation background, which can affect the he alth of astronauts, touchit can and people flying in an airplane. The electromagnetic wave from the flash causes interference to satellites and other equipment.
On Earth, outbreaks can greatly affect people's well-being. This is manifested in the lack of concentration, pressure drops, headaches, slowing down of brain activity. People with weakened immune systems, mental disorders, cardiovascular disorders and chronic diseases are especially sensitive to the activity of the sun on themselves.
Technology is also sensitive. An X-class solar flare is capable of knocking out radios all over the Earth, with an average blast affecting mostly the polar regions.
Monitoring
The most powerful solar flare occurred in 1859, often referred to as the Super Solar Storm or the Carrington Event. Astronomer Richard Carrington was lucky enough to notice it, after whom the phenomenon was named. The flash caused the Northern Lights, which could be seen even in the Caribbean islands, and the telegraph communication system of North America and Europe was instantly out of order.
Storms like the Carrington event occur once every 500 years. Consequences for human life can also occur with minor outbreaks, so scientists are interested in predicting them. Predicting solar activity is not easy, as the structure of our star is very unstable.
NASA is actively researching this area. Through analysissolar magnetic field, scientists have already learned to learn about the next outbreak, but it is still impossible to make accurate predictions. All predictions are very approximate and only report "sunny weather" for short periods, up to a maximum of 3 days.
