Superflares from stars similar to our Sun are phenomena that can significantly impact Earth, although they are relatively rare. Recent astronomical research shows that our Sun produces superflares much more often than previously thought – once every hundred years instead of every few thousand years. It looks like we’re screwed, but we just haven’t realized how little time we have to react.
Every day, the Sun produces solar flares, which are energetic explosions of electromagnetic radiation. Sometimes they are accompanied by coronal mass ejections – violent bursts of plasma into space. When they reach Earth, they can cause solar storms that threaten satellites, electrical grids and radio communications.
But superflares are something much bigger than that. They can release the energy of a row J and, among others, have been observed on other stars by the Kepler and TESS missions. Is our Sun also capable of such explosions? The answer is not optimistic for us.
Groundbreaking research and new technology
Astronomers, using data from the Kepler space telescopeanalyzed the flare activity of over 56,000 Sun-like stars. Using a method that allows for the precise detection of superflares, they determined that such phenomena occur on stars once every about a hundred years. So it turns out that we were wrong, and with each passing day the scope of our “luck” that we have not experienced any such flare in our recent history is increasing.
The method took into account possible data contamination, eliminating potential errors, e.g. due to the influence of double stars or rapidly rotating active stars. As a result, the team identified almost 3,000 bright flares in the population of observed stars.
Will the Sun surprise us with a superflare?
Researchers agree: the Sun is capable of generating superflares in the same way as other stars. Analysis of archival data, including the concentration of cosmogenic isotopes in tree rings, indicates the variability of solar activity throughout history. An example is the Maunder Minimum, a period in the 17th century when solar activity was extremely low. In turn, in the 20th century we were dealing with the modern maximum.
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The most powerful solar flare documented was the “Carrington event” in 1859, which caused disruptions in telegraphs and spectacular aurora borealis visible even in the tropics. Could a superflare have occurred in the 20th century and gone unnoticed? Researchers do not rule out this possibility.
We need to keep studying superflares
These types of events may have serious consequences for our civilization. Disruption of satellites, damage to power grids or communication problems are just some of the potential effects. Researchers plan to continue their research using new generation telescopes. Then we will learn more about the flares themselves and their potential (still speculated) effects on our planet.
We have to accept that we mean nothing compared to the power of the Universe. A surprise may come even from the Sun, which is our main source of life. Understanding the processes involved in superflares not only deepens our knowledge about stars, but also helps prepare for the possible consequences of nature’s whim. We must be ready for this eventuality.
Source: antyweb.pl
