Earth DANGER: Superflares from the Sun threaten to CRIPPLE Earth in the next 100 years
SUPERFLARES of destructive energy lashing out from the Sun threaten to obliterate the Earth in the next “100 years or so”, astronomers have shockingly announced.
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Superflares are monstrous bursts of charged particles, solar energy and cosmic radiation from the surface of a star. These solar flares have the potential to wipe out entire satellite networks, short out communications and disrupt power grids around the globe. Superflares on this scale are an incredibly rare event, occurring once every few thousand years. However, a team of astronomers in the US has shockingly announced our own Sun could unleash one of these flares before the end of next century.
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Until recently, astronomers believed superflares were only produced by young and active stars spewing energy.
But researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) in the US fear older and quieter stars like our Sun can produce these blasts.
The shocking revelation, according to one of the researchers, is a “wake up call” for everyone on the planet.
Astronomer Yuta Notsu, who lead a study into the dangers of superflares, will present the news at the 234th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in St Louis, Missouri, between June 9 and June 13.
According to the space expert, the likelihood of Earth sitting in the path of one of these superflares is high.
When this happens, the superflare will cripple technology up and down the planet, causing widespread blackouts.
Dr Notsu, a visiting researcher at CU Boulder, said: “Our study shows that superflares are rare events.
“But there is some possibility that we could experience such an event in the next 100 years or so.”
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Astronomers first observed signs of these powerful superflares thanks to NASA’s now-retired Kepler space telescope.
We could experience such an event in the next 100 years
The incredible instrument, which launched in 2009, observed rare instances of stars suddenly and briefly peaking in brightness.
These intense peaks were superflares erupting from their respective stars.
Dr Notsu said: “When our Sun was young, it was very active because it rotated very fast and probably generated more powerful flares.
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“But we didn’t know if such large flares occur on the modern Sun with very low frequency.”
The age of a star is crucial in determining the frequency of a star’s superflares.
Younger stars, Dr Notsu said, appear to eject superflares “once every week or so”.
Older stars like our Sun do so “once every few thousand years on average”.
There is, however, no real guarantee when the next superflare will cripple the Earth.
Dr Notsu said: “If a superflare occurred 1,000 years ago, it was probably no big problem. People may have seen a large aurora.
“Now, its a much bigger problem because of our electronics.”
The dire study was published last May in the journal The Astrophysical Journal.
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What are solar flares?
The outer layers of the Sun are home to an intense magnetic field running around in lines.
Occasionally, these magnetic fields will cross one another, tangle-up or move around.
When this happens, a powerful and spontaneous blast of energy erupts from the Sun into outer space.
US space agency NASA said: “Solar flares release a lot of radiation into space.
“If a solar flare is very intense, the radiation it releases can interfere with our radio communications here on Earth.”
What are the effects of solar flares on Earth?
Accordion to the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), solar flare eruptions are typically associated with radio communication blackouts.
When solar flares strike the Earth’s upper atmosphere or ionosphere, atmospheric ionisation can interrupt radio waves.
The SWPC said: “Solar flares usually take place in active regions, which are areas on the Sun marked by the presence of strong magnetic fields; typically associated with sunspot groups.
“As these magnetic fields evolve, they can reach a point of instability and release energy in a variety of forms.
“These include electromagnetic radiation, which are observed as solar flares.”
