The forecast of space weather: flash on the Sun

About the sun you can talk endlessly. No one will argue that it is the source and keeper of life on Earth. But that which gave life, can take it away. Is it possible. Is the sun dangerous for us, does it threaten our security in the foreseeable future?

The sun has a magnetic field. Its interaction with plasma substances causes excessive activity - winds, sunspots, sun flashes, etc. Let's consider the latter phenomenon in more detail.

A flash on the Sun is an explosive process that leads to the release of billions of megatons of energy (kinetic, light, thermal). A wave of electromagnetic radiation, flying at the speed of light, reaches Earth in a few minutes. But the luminary also emits a large number of hot gases, the so-called coronary emissions. It will take them four days to reach our planet. This is a colossal flow of protons, electrons, iron, oxygen, helium, and some more heavier elements.

The outbreak on the Sun causes perturbation of the Earth's magnetic field. These changes induce a powerful direct current, which can cause significant damage to the electrical networks. One damaged node entails a "fan" trip ("domino effect"). Such an emergency cascade was felt by residents of some European countries in 2006.

It is this stream of sunlight that causes the phenomenon, which we call the Northern Lights.

The theme of the end of the world is constantly being discussed in the press. At the heart of one of the versions is a flash on the Sun. According to some scientists, it will destroy all life on Earth. Even if the process proves too short-lived, the ozone layer will not survive and collapse, which means the death of our civilization. It is interesting that radiation will destroy living organisms, but infections and viruses will not suffer.

Although many people are skeptical about such conversations, scientists prove anomalous activity on the Sun. Outbreaks cause magnetic storms on our planet that affect a person's well-being.

Even if we do not perish from radiation, a strong flash on the Sun will damage the transformer systems. For modern humanity this is a real disaster. The whole planet can be without electricity. It will take a lot of money and time to recover. "Blackout" of a planetary scale in the conditions of a high-tech society does not seem like an iridescent prospect.

As a result of such a solar "attack" earthlings will not perish, but in the following months the number of victims will progress with incredible speed. Gas, oil and water pipelines, as well as life support systems in hospitals, will stop. The factories on which new equipment will have to be manufactured will not work either. But in the dark it will be convenient to observe the "salute" of electric discharges and the northern lights, which can be seen in all corners of the world (now this beauty is only available to the inhabitants of the polar regions).

Electromagnetic collapse will come upon us suddenly and without warning, we will be unprepared for such a devastating disaster. The alarm signal will rush from the satellite to the center of space research in Houston, but humanity will only have a few minutes to defensive measures. Scientists believe that any effort will be futile.