- Solar flames contain
solar particles , which poses a threat toastronaut , satellites, electrical networks and aircraft. - Moreover, they are very difficult to predict in advance.
- Scientists believe they know where these particles come from, which could help astronomers better predict solar flares that pose a threat to Earth and its technology.
From time to time, the Sun spits a
Knowing when a solar flare will occur could help the Earth better prepare for solar storms and reduce the risk to human lives. In what may be a milestone in this research, a new study by astronomers at University College London (UCL) and George Mason University could at least tell others where to look.
So what are we talking about?
Even though the Sun is 149.6 million kilometers away, the potentially dangerous solar particles in these flames have been known to eliminate satellites and cause disruptions throughout the city. It also poses a radiation risk to astronauts and threatens
Tracking or predicting when these eruptions will occur has proven to be an elusive effort so far. According to the new study, the source is not the slow solar wind, but the plasma located below in the outer layer of the Sun, the corona. However, solar particles are closer to the middle region of the Sun’s atmosphere – the chromosphere – than the outer edges of the Sun.
“Our evidence supports theories that these highly charged particles come from plasma that has been kept low in the Sun’s atmosphere by strong magnetic fields,” said study co-author Stephanie Yardley in a statement. “These energy particles, once released, are then accelerated by eruptions that travel at a speed of several thousand kilometers per second.”
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The threat of solar flares
A solar cycle is the amount of time it takes for the Sun’s magnetic poles to twist. During the process, the star passes between an active phase and a quiet phase.
Even though we know that the duration of a cycle is about 11 years, it is still impossible to see when solar energy will take place until it happens. The potentially dangerous solar particles in these rockets can reach Earth in minutes. And, in all likelihood, the event will last a few days.
Comparable data available to scientists is limited, as records go back only five cycles. An analysis conducted by the University of Warwick was one of the first to study the last fourteen cycles for the first time and found that “severe” magnetic storms occurred 42 times – one every 25 years.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the largest recorded solar flare is since April 2, 2001. The solar flare threw a coronal mass expulsion into space at an enormous speed of about 7.2 million kilometers per hour. . Fortunately, the flame was not directed at the Earth.
The new solar cycle will be their testing ground
Scientists were able to track these energized particles because they had the same “fingerprint” as the plasma in the depths of the Sun’s corona. To determine whether their observations were true, these astronomers used events from the last solar cycle. However, in September last year, the star at the center of our universe began a new 11-year solar cycle.
Now, these scientists will use their observations to try to predict when the next solar flare may occur in the new solar cycle. “We are now beginning a new solar cycle, and once it begins, we will use the same techniques to see if our results are generally true or if these events are somehow unusual,” lead author David Brooks said in a statement.
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