Solar activity is once again intensely active, this time the strongest of the Sun's 25th cycle. This has raised concerns about the safety of astronauts on China's space station, Shenzhou-17. How dangerous is it, exactly?
Let us explain it in detail. This solar event is indeed rare, and according to data captured by the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory, the sun erupted with a strong X5 solar flare, which is rare in solar activity.
Solar flares are divided into five levels according to their intensity: A, B, C, M, and X, and this solar flare reaches x5Level 0, which is a very large flare, and the energy released is ten times that of a C-class flare.
Why is this happening?This is because the Sun is currently in its 25th cycle, in which solar flares are normal, but there are some variations in the trend.
As the period approaches the maximum, the activity intensity of the solar flare increases, and the activity decreases as the period gets closer to the minimum. Regarding the peak of the solar cycle, some studies point to January 2024, others believe that it will be between January and October 2024, and there are ** that the flare activity will peak around 2025.
The exact time is uncertain, and humans can only speculate about the change of the cycle through the process of sunspot change.
The occurrence of the X5 solar flare not only indicates that the solar activity is unusually strong, but also indicates that the sun is at the peak of its activity. However, for such intense solar activity, it is possible to have some impact.
Many people are worried that this will pose a threat to China's Shenzhou-17 astronauts. How harmful is solar activity?Are the Shenzhou-17 astronauts in danger?The hazards of solar activity are indeed significant, affecting not only the ground, but also posing a considerable threat to space. In general, the harmful radiation released by solar flares cannot pass through the Earth's atmosphere to have a physical impact on the ground.
However, this solar flare is more intense, and when the flare is strong enough, it can have an impact on Earth, such as causing auroras to appear at lower latitudes, disrupting GPS and radio communication transmission, and even posing a threat to power grids and astronauts.
NASA's note also makes it clear that severe solar activity will disrupt GPS and communication signals.
However, for astronauts, the worry about the Shenzhou-17 astronauts is actually unnecessary. In the early days of the construction of the space station, China has taken multiple measures to protect the safety of astronauts. First of all, special materials are used on the main structure of the space station to reduce the damage of space radiation to astronauts. Second, the Chinese space station module has multiple layers of protective structure, which can shield most of the dangerous radiation.
Moreover, when astronauts are exposed to intense solar radiation, they quickly retreat to a special shielded area within the space station to further reduce the risk.
Therefore, the Shenzhou-17 astronauts are not threatened at all. In general, the activity of the sun is likely to become more and more intense, which is a trend.
However, as the cycle of activity approaches the end of the maximum, solar activity gradually weakens. For astronauts, as long as the China Ground Space Early Warning Center issues an early warning in advance, astronauts can take corresponding risk avoidance measures to ensure their own safety. Therefore, we do not have to worry about the safety of the Shenzhou-17 astronauts. Article First Publication Challenge.