The sun is the source of our life, it provides us with light and heat, and fills our planet with life. However, the Sun is not a calm star, it also has its own activities and changes, sometimes releasing huge amounts of energy, ejecting high-velocity charged particles into space, forming solar storms.
Solar storm is a very threatening astronomical phenomenon, which not only has a potential impact on human production and life, but also has an important impact on the earth's natural environment.
A solar storm is a high-velocity stream of particles formed by a large number of charged particles released into space by the sun due to increased energy. So the air mass in a solar storm is mainly charged plasma and is breaking into space at a speed of 1.5 million to 3 million kilometers per hour. Solar storms occur every 11 years with the sunspot cycle.
The activity of the solar magnetic field shows a certain regularity, and after observation and statistics, scientists define the solar activity cycle as the time interval from one solar maximum to the next, usually about 11 years.
When the number of sunspots is at its highest, the sun is also most active, and the probability of solar flares is the greatest. Solar flares are one of the most violent eruptions in the Sun's atmosphere, capable of releasing enormous amounts of energy that can last anywhere from a few minutes to tens of minutes. Solar flares, the most typical solar eruptive activity, eject hundreds of millions of tons of material off the surface of the sun at a high speed of hundreds of kilometers per second, which is known as "coronal mass ejections". These materials carry the powerful magnetic field energy of the sun, which affects the direction and strength of the earth's magnetic field, causing geomagnetic storms.
There are three main forms of solar storms.
Solar storms are released in three forms: enhanced electromagnetic radiation, streams of high-energy charged particles, and plasma clouds. Solar storms are graded A, B, C, M, and X, with X being the highest, and the higher the number after the scale, the higher the intensity. Different levels of solar storms have different effects on the Earth.
In general, solar storms below the C magnitude will have less impact on the Earth, M solar storms will cause moderate geomagnetic storms, and X-magnitude solar storms will cause strong geomagnetic storms and even cause serious damage to the Earth's technical systems.
Enhanced electromagnetic radiation is the first form of solar storm, which mainly includes visible light, ultraviolet rays, X-rays, and gamma rays.
These electromagnetic radiations reach the Earth within minutes of a solar storm, affecting the Earth's atmosphere, increasing its ionization and interfering with radio communications and navigation signals. Enhanced electromagnetic radiation can also cause the Earth's atmosphere to expand, increase the satellite's air resistance, change the satellite's orbit, and even cause damage or fall of the satellite.
The second form of solar storm is a stream of high-energy charged particles, which mainly includes protons and electrons, among others. These charged particles reach the Earth within tens of minutes to hours after a solar storm and have an impact on the Earth's magnetosphere and atmosphere, increasing its energy to produce auroras and radiation storms.
Radiation storms can cause serious radiation hazards to satellites and astronauts in orbit, which may lead to the failure or damage of the satellite's electronic equipment and threaten the life and health of astronauts.
Plasma clouds are the third form of solar storms, which are made up of large amounts of charged plasma thrown by solar flares or coronal mass ejections. These plasma clouds reach Earth within hours to days of a solar storm and have an impact on the Earth's magnetosphere and power system, causing it to change, triggering geomagnetic storms and Earth-induced currents. A geomagnetic storm is a strong geomagnetic disturbance that causes a change in the direction and strength of the geomagnetic field, affecting the compass, geomagnetic positioning, and geomagnetic exploration.
A famous solar storm event in history.
Solar storms are not a new phenomenon, they have occurred many times in history, and they have had varying degrees of impact on humans. One of the most famous solar storm events occurred on March 13, 1989, when an X15 solar flare occurred on the Sun, followed by a strong coronal mass ejection that ejected massive plasma clouds in the direction of the Earth. These plasma clouds arrived on Earth four days later, triggering an extremely strong geomagnetic storm in which the strength of the geomagnetic field changed dramatically in a matter of minutes, and the strength of the Earth-induced current reached alarming levels.
The impact of this solar storm on the planet was catastrophic, with serious consequences for the Quebec region of Canada in particular. Since the power system in the Quebec region is based on long-distance high-voltage transmission lines, this makes it more susceptible to ground-induced currents. Under the impact of the solar storm, Quebec's electricity system suffered a massive outage, resulting in a massive blackout across the province that lasted nine hours and affected the lives of 6 million people. Due to the power outage, Quebec's public transportation, communications, water supply, heating and other infrastructure have been severely affected, causing huge economic losses and social chaos. In addition, this solar storm has also caused varying degrees of interference and damage to the power system, satellites, aviation, navigation and other parts of the United States, Europe, Japan and other regions.
According to the law of the solar cycle, scientists can carry out a certain degree of ** on the occurrence of solar storms, but this ** is not very accurate and reliable, but it is still enough to warn humans to take corresponding precautions.
Through these means and methods, scientists can estimate and warn the occurrence time, duration, intensity, and form of solar storms to a certain extent, so as to provide some reference and basis for our preparedness and response.
Solar storms pose a huge threat to our production and life, which is mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Communication: Solar storms will interfere with radio communication and navigation signals, causing signal attenuation, distortion, interruption and other phenomena, affecting the normal use of our communication equipment such as radio, television, Internet, satellite, and global positioning system.
Satellites: Solar storms can increase the air resistance of satellites, change their orbits, and even cause damage or fall. Solar storms can also cause radiation hazards to a satellite's electronics, causing them to malfunction or damage.
Astronauts: Solar storms can cause serious radiation hazards to astronauts in orbit, which can lead to threats to astronauts' lives and health, and even cause diseases such as cancer.
Navigation: Solar storms can cause changes in the direction and strength of the geomagnetic field, affecting the compass, geomagnetic positioning, and geomagnetic surveys, among other things. Solar storms can also interfere with the signals of the Global Positioning System, causing errors or failures, affecting the normal use of our navigational equipment such as aviation, navigation, and land.
Power grid: Solar storms can induce currents in conductors on the surface, affecting the stability and safety of the power system, potentially leading to power failures, transformer damage, fires, and more.
Solar storms can also cause disruption or damage to the control and protection equipment of the power system, causing it to fail or malfunction, affecting the normal operation of our power supply, water supply, heating and other infrastructure.
Solar storms are a natural phenomenon and a scientific mystery that showcases the grandeur and power of the sun, but also brings challenges and crises to our lives. We should use scientific attitudes and methods to observe and improve the occurrence of solar storms, to prevent and reduce the impact of solar storms, to use and explore the value of solar storms, and to protect and improve our living environment. As Albert Einstein said, "The sun is our mother, and we should respect her, but we should not be afraid of her." ”