On January 1, 2024, the National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center kicked off the day by issuing a yellow warning for flares. At this moment, the sun had just woken up, and it burst out with a strong energy in a brilliant moment at 5:55, forming a dazzling x5A level 0 flare makes one wonder what effect this eternal celestial body has on us by showing its vitality in such a brilliant way. Recalling the time at the beginning of last year, the sun seemed to be full of passion for 6 days, with 3 consecutive outbreaks of righteousness, and each flare seemed to tell the mysterious story of watching the sun, so as a symbol of the sun's vitality, what kind of ripples did these flares have on our lives?
A solar flare, which is a spectacular eruption on the surface of the sun, is an astonishing amount of energy. It is divided into five levels: A, B, C, M, and X, of which A is the smallest and X is the largest. Cheng Jianxia, an associate researcher at the Astronomy and Geodynamics Research Center of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the flare is the most violent eruption phenomenon in the sun's atmosphere, which releases amazing energy in an instant, although its duration is short, but it can be comparable to the power of tens of billions of giant hydrogen bombs at the same time, or the sum of the energy of 100,000 to millions of powerful volcanic eruptions.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a statement that the 25th solar cycle activity peak between January and October 2024 is the "solar maximum", indicating that the Sun will reach the peak of its current activity cycle in 2024. A solar flare, which is a dance between the sun and the earth, is the most brilliant fireworks in the universe. Now, we are about to witness that historic moment when the sun's brilliance will reach its peak in 2024, illuminating our world.
The sun, the eternal burning star, is the source of our life. And the sun flare, the dance of the bright sky, but there are endless worries in the world. As the wildest moment on the sun, the flare erupts throwing away 100 million tons of solar material at lightning speed, carrying a powerful magnetic field that can cause a storm in the geomagnetic field if it hits the earth.
Professor Cheng Xin, deputy dean of the School of Astronomy and Space Science at Nanjing University, warns us that geomagnetic storms are like the best hands, quietly stirring the peace of the earth. It causes voltage and current fluctuations in long-distance transmission systems, leading to blackouts or unstable power**: it changes the attitude of satellites in orbit, affecting GPS signals and causing navigation failures. Looking back at February 2023, the magnetic storm was a nightmare. As many as 40 of the 49 Starlink satellites of the US SpaceX crashed into the atmosphere during the storm and turned into meteor showers.
In the face of this natural disaster, Professor Cheng Xin said: "It is important to anticipate the movement of the sun, but at the moment we can only give early warning in the short days before the storm arrives. "This brief warning gives us an opportunity to protect our infrastructure. Power grids can be strategically shut down, aircraft routes can be rerouted, and satellite orbits can be adjusted.
Solar flares are not only a spectacle of the sky, but also a hidden worry in the world. Every eruption can be a test for the planet. And only by understanding the dance of the sun can we find the survival of the festival in this dance of the sky.
The sun, the artist of the universe, interprets the dance music of life with its melodious melodies. However, it is not eternal, but rather like a rhythmic poem, with its 11-year cycle, interpreting the mystery of the solar cycle. Its explosive power and frequency are just like the shape of a jujube pit, with thin ends and full middle. In this vivid performance, X-class flares are like fireworks in full bloom, lighting up the starry sky every 11 years. On average, we see the brilliance about 16 times a year, and when it comes to X5 flares, it may be considered by many to be extremely powerful. But in fact, on the stage of the sun, the X10 flare is the real superstar.
It's twice as explosive as X5 and delivers an average of 8 shocking performances per solar week. Cai Zheng, an associate professor at Tsinghua University's Department of Astronomy, said that although geomagnetic storms will have a certain impact on electronic communication products, they will hardly affect the health of ordinary people. As for the direct impact of magnetic storms on the human body, the academic community is still conducting in-depth research. It has been theorized that strong geomagnetic activity may affect animal migration and navigation. But perhaps more of an impact will be on the astronauts who work the ISS. At that time when the storm was raging, the increase in radiation could pose a threat to their safety. As a result, they need to take extra precautions to ensure that every mission runs smoothly.