This process is called a supernova explosion. A series of strong flares on the star that we observe on the Sun throughout September indicates a high probability of such a scenario.
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"Activation processes in our luminary in Lately noticeable. Among them, of course, are the current powerful outbreaks. However, to be honest, we still cannot give an unambiguous answer to the question of whether the Sun will die in the foreseeable future. We still know too little about the star closest to us, about what is happening to it," said research physicist Ivan Nazarenko.
According to him, if fears are confirmed and a supernova forms, earthlings will see a bright flash eight minutes later. "The whole sky will be covered with radiance from a bright white flame emitted by an exploded star. The power of this glow will be such that the night on the planet will disappear. Most likely, all living things, including people, will die at the first stage of the cataclysm," the scientist suggested.
Further, streams of radioactive radiation will fall on the planet. Under the influence of anomalous solar radiation, the temperature on the Earth's surface will rise to five thousand degrees, and all the water will evaporate and form a thick cloud cover at an altitude of tens of kilometers.
But this is not the end, the expert warned. When, due to the explosion, the Sun increases many times in size, plasma flows will reach the Earth. After that, the planet will deorbit and go on an unpredictable space "journey".
The largest flare in the last 12 years occurred on the Sun, the Laboratory of X-ray Solar Astronomy of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported.
Scientists noted that the outbreak is a natural result of changes in solar corona over the past three days. During this period, as a result of the interaction of two large groups sunspots accumulated energy, which was released in a large flash. At present, the consequences of this natural phenomenon are difficult to predict with sufficient accuracy.
"The observed explosion occurred in a geoeffective region near the Sun-Earth line, from where the impact of the Sun on our planet is maximum," the laboratory's website said in a statement.
Solar flares depending on power x-ray radiation subdivided into five classes: A, B, C, M and X. The minimum class A0.0 corresponds to a radiation power in Earth orbit of 10 nanowatts per square meter. When moving to the next letter, the power increases 10 times.
The current flare belongs to the latter class and has been assigned a score of X9.3, making it one of the five most powerful explosions on the surface of the Sun on record.
Images of the flare were taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Vladimir Surdin, a senior researcher at the P.K.
"The Sun is a calm star, but with a frequency of 11 years, its activity increases. During a period of high solar flare activity, this is not such a rarity. But just this year - a period of low solar activity. And, frankly, no one expected that there will be such an event. Yesterday afternoon there were two class X flares on the Sun. One of medium power and the other of extremely high power. Unfortunately, both flares were quite accurately directed towards the Earth. The equipment of the satellites that "saw" this almost burned out, it went off scale - so powerful was the flow of X-ray and ultraviolet rays," said Vladimir Surdin.
According to him, the atmosphere protects people from powerful solar radiation on Earth.
"A flare is a powerful explosion on the surface of the Sun. It is incomparable with anything we are used to on Earth - no hydrogen bombs can match it. But the Sun is still far from us, and this cannot greatly damage the Earth. For Earth's atmosphere, all this is not very scary - the air covers us well. But for those who fly above the atmosphere - satellites, people - this is not a very pleasant event, "said Vladimir Surdin.
According to the scientist's forecasts, the consequences of a solar flare will manifest themselves for several more days.
"In the coming days, particles of cosmic rays ejected from the Sun will still fly up - fast protons, electrons - so the events associated with this flare will continue. There will be beautiful events, such as a very powerful aurora. But there will also be unpleasant events - interruption of radio communications and, possibly , burnout of transformers in the power supply networks of cities," said Vladimir Surdin.
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Flash in the sun.
2 Why do we care?
“For the first time in 12 years, such a powerful flare occurred,” explains Alexander Solovyov, Doctor of Science, Professor, Head of the Solar Physics Laboratory of the Main Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Pulkovo Observatory, St. Petersburg). “The current outbreak can be called an analogue of 1859, when the aurora was observed in the southern regions,” the engineer of the educational observatory of the Uralsky goes further into the depths of centuries. federal university Vladilen Sanakoev. “Then even telegraph communication on Earth stopped.”
3 Smartphones can be thrown away?
No, because of the lack of communication, it's too early to panic. “The flash is really strong,” says Alexander Solovyov. - But it happened not on the central meridian, but on the western side below the equator. This means that it is not aimed at us, not at the Earth. However, in the Laboratory of Solar X-Ray Astronomy of the Lebedev Physical Institute (P. N. Lebedev RAS, Moscow) they saw that a large ejection of solar matter is directed precisely at the Earth. “The speed of the ejection is currently being specified, but, based on the values usual for such events, it is at least 1000 km per second,” the metropolitan colleagues specify.
4 There was an outbreak, but what about the consequences?
Magnetic storms on Earth can be expected tonight. In general, ultraviolet after a flash reaches the Earth in 8 minutes. “And the accelerated particles that are generated by the flare last up to two days,” explains Alexander Solovyov. “Today, the reaction of the interaction between the Earth's magnetic field and the flow of charged particles begins,” says geophysicist and journalist Konstantin Ranks. - Where the night is clear, you can enjoy the excellent aurora. If the weather had been good in St. Petersburg, then we would have seen him.” However, along with the radiance, we are also waiting for magnetic storms. It is assumed that its peak is the current geomagnetic storm reach on Saturday morning.
“Let's wait for what will happen on the night of September 7-8,” Vladilen Sanakoev also calls for vigilance. “If the new outbreak is the same as 150 years ago, radio electronics and electronic devices will suffer first of all, there may be a loss of radio communication.” “Now polar aviation is better not to fly. Until the storm subsides,” Alexander Khokhlov, a member of the St. Petersburg Cosmonautics Federation, warns just in case. According to him, over north pole will be the most noticeable impact of the outbreak.
5 Who will feel the solar flare?
“On an old woman who is barely alive, even a slight impact of solar activity can have a bad effect,” says Alexander Solovyov, a professor from the Pulkovo Observatory. - For the young and healthy, it's all just imperceptible. From the fact that your blood clotting will change by a couple of percent for a certain period, you will not feel anything at all. An extra cup of coffee will have more effect than all these flashes put together. One way or another, doctors recommend on such days to strictly follow the rules for taking medications to all "chronics".
6 How often does it flash?
The next exacerbation on the Sun will be in 11 years. “Every 11 years the number of sunspots, flares, emissions increases on the Sun. Oddly enough, at the same time, strong outbreaks often occur just in the recession phase, ”notes Alexander Solovyov. “The sun can be compared to a young man of 35 years old. And the Earth will perform all sorts of miracles for at least another billion years,” promises Konstantin Ranks. “If we don’t screw up our own planet first, which is happening right now.”
7 Who spotted the "explosion in the sun"?
“Russia itself is not watching this,” says astrophysicist Alexander Solovyov. - We have data from the American station. All scientists use their data. Own Russian satellite would be great, but it costs a lot. The Americans may well close the data, but so far they are doing great. Everything is open source."
8 Will the ISS astronauts be affected by the flash?
Member of the Federation of Cosmonautics of St. Petersburg Alexander Khokhlov assures that the station systems are reliably protected by Van Allen belts (radiation belt of the Earth. - Approx. ed.). What's more, the astronauts will end up taking a lot of pictures of the auroras. “It will be beautiful,” Alexander Khokhlov promises. According to him, satellites in high orbits will suffer a little: geostationary and highly elliptical. “If the station with astronauts was high-latitude (the idea of creating such a station was discussed by the authorities of the Russian Federation in 2014. - Approx. ed.), there the crew would receive a decent dose. And at 52 degrees of inclination of the ISS, the radiation background will only slightly increase, and due to the increased solar wind, the deceleration of the ISS will slightly accelerate, - says Alexander Khokhlov. “People are completely safe.”
9 If the outbreak is not so strong, why are they so scared?
“Some colleagues like to exaggerate threats in order to increase their rating, draw attention to themselves, get money. I don't like it when people are scared, especially the elderly. Their fright affects them more than the real consequences of solar flares, - Alexander Solovyov, head of the Solar Physics Laboratory at the Pulkovo Observatory, is sure. - The previous period of active solar flares was in 2006-2008. Somehow they managed. Survived."
Nikolai Nelyubin, especially for Fontanka.ru.
For more than a decade, scientists from different countries have been trying to figure out how to predict such natural phenomena like solar flares. Their frequency is determined by eleven-year cycles of solar activity. However, the most powerful and unpleasant manifestations of the activity of the Sun overtake us, quite suddenly, to this day. This is due to the fact that solar flares can be predicted only by analyzing solar magnetic fields, which are not distinguished by constancy and at least minimal stability.
The impact of solar flares on outer space
Solar flares are considered the most unfavorable for space explorers. Representing the greatest degree of threat in the expanses of outer space, waves of powerful explosive energy may well damage communications satellites, and even spacecraft, completely disabling instruments and control systems. Flashes on, forming powerful streams of protons, significantly increase the level of radiation, as a result of which people in open space can easily be exposed to strong radiation. A certain risk of exposure exists even for passengers of airliners who fly during certain periods, falling on the peaks of outbreak activity.
Under the Soviet Union, leading specialists at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory tried to predict the possibility of solar flares, and if the prerequisites for an energy explosion arose, the flights of astronauts were necessarily postponed. In 1968, the forecast of Soviet scientists about the upcoming solar flare, which was awarded the most high level danger - three points. Then spaceship"Soyuz-3" with Georgy Beregov was landed, and after three hours they observed a powerful flare on the Sun, which for a person in space would be fatal.
Plasma cloud danger and solar flare classification
Solar flares can also pose a significant danger to the inhabitants of our planet, even though the Earth is protected from them by geo magnetic field and the atmospheric ozone layer. Each such flash is accompanied by a cloud of a kind of plasma and, reaching the Earth, it is this plasma that causes magnetic storms that negatively affect almost all living organisms and disable the most powerful communication systems.
After the start of a solar flare, radiation reaches the Earth's surface within an 8-10-minute period, after which powerfully charged particles are sent towards our planet. Further, within a three-day period, the plasma clouds reach the Earth. A kind of blast wave collides with our planet and causes magnetic storms. The duration of each outbreak usually does not exceed a few minutes, but this time and the power of the energy release is quite enough to affect the state of the Earth and the well-being of its inhabitants.
scientists solar flares have been classified into five types: A, B, C, M, X. In this case, A are flares with a minimum degree of X-ray emission, and each subsequent one is 10 times more intense than the previous one. Class X flares are considered the most powerful and dangerous. Numerous scientists and researchers have noticed that even typhoons, hurricanes and earthquakes most often occur during solar activity. Therefore, forecasts of various natural disasters are often associated with solar flares.
The main types of danger in solar flares
Without exaggerating the level of influence of solar flares on the human body and well-being, it is possible to determine the groups of people who are most susceptible to negative impact solar system energy explosions.
It has been proven more than once that catastrophes and accidents due to the fault of the human factor increase quantitatively during the days of solar flares. This is due to the fact that during such periods, brain activity is maximally weakened, and concentration of attention is greatly dulled. In addition, for a number of people, magnetic storms are the causative agents of real torment and frustration. There are many such groups:
- People with weakened immune systems;
- The population suffering from cardiovascular diseases, migraines, jumps (drops) in blood pressure;
- People with chronic conditions that get worse during each outbreak solar energy and subsequent magnetic storm;
- Population subject to periodic manifestations of insomnia, loss of appetite, restless sleep;
- Mentally unbalanced individuals.
There are separate opinions, repeatedly confirmed in practice, that many people begin to worry about old wounds, scars, damaged bones or sore joints during magnetic storms. Also, those representatives who have a so-called delayed reaction to magnetic storms can be attributed to a separate group. These are people experiencing Negative consequences a few days after solar flares.
Many experts advise periodically undergoing medical examinations to detect chronic diseases. Since it is precisely this kind of disease that is significantly aggravated during solar flares, it will be possible, if not to prevent the upcoming malaise and deterioration in health, then at least to have medicines at hand.
How scientists are trying to predict solar flares
Given the degree of influence and danger from solar flares, work and attempts to find the most accurate methods for predicting this phenomenon do not stop. For a long time, scientists and weather forecasters considered two ways to solve the problem:
- Casual - is based on predicting the next outbreak by its simulation, for which the physical mechanisms of the outbreak are carefully studied.
- Synoptic - a method that involves the study and analysis of the prerequisites and behavior of the Sun before each flare.
The fact remains that the coronal origin of solar flares and their magnetic nature are directly related. This means that for a better development of forecasting, it will most likely be necessary to link both methods together.
MOSCOW, September 7 - RIA Novosti. powerful flash in the sun can cause malfunctions spacecraft including communication satellites. At the same time, experts doubt the danger of solar activity on human health, speaking only of the "placebo effect" that affects a person's well-being.
Explosion in the sun
On Wednesday, there was a flare on the Sun, which was assigned a score of X9.3. The last explosion of such force was recorded on September 7, 2005.
Solar flares are divided into five classes depending on the X-ray power: A, B, C, M and X. The minimum class A0.0 corresponds to a radiation power in the Earth's orbit of ten nanowatts per square meter. When moving to the next letter, the power increases tenfold.
The latest flare belongs to the last class, making it one of the five most powerful explosions on the surface of the Sun on record. According to scientists, it occurred at the point that "looks" at the Earth, and therefore its impact on our planet will be maximum.
Threat to satellites
The scientific director of the Moscow Space Club, Ivan Moiseev, told RIA Novosti that a solar flare will respond on September 7 with a strong geomagnetic storm. That, in turn, can lead to malfunctions of spacecraft in orbit.
"There have been no catastrophes yet, but there have been temporary equipment failures - this has been fixed. A sharp increase in solar activity has quite strong influence for the operation of the target equipment," the expert explained.
At the same time, he noted that so far no problems have been recorded in the space group.
"Gazeta.ru" notes that magnetic storms can disrupt the operation of not only spacecraft, but also telecommunications equipment on Earth, which threatens communication problems.
placebo effect for humans
Moiseev stressed that the impact of solar flares, even as strong as the day before, on the health of earthlings has not yet been proven. At the same time, the expert noted that the so-called "placebo effect" from reading reports of increased activity can lead to a deterioration in people's condition.
"Theoretically - yes, it (the effect on people's health. - Approx. ed.) is possible, but practically it has not been proven. It must be understood that the" placebo effect "in the sensations of people reading news about flares, as well as sunspots, more strongly affects their physical and psycho-emotional state. A person is worried, expects trouble, and here they are, "Moiseev believes.
The term "placebo effect" refers to the improvement or deterioration of a person's health due to the fact that he believes in the effectiveness of an outside influence that actually has no effect. The degree of manifestation of the placebo effect depends on the suggestibility of the person and the external circumstances of the "treatment".
Aleksey Struminsky, a leading researcher at the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, agrees with Moiseev. In his opinion, the outbreak should not have a serious impact on people's health.
“There are people who believe in it, there are those who don’t. If we talk about those who believe, it will affect in the same way as the same outbreaks in previous cycles… Almost no one will notice anything,” the expert explained.
“All this can affect the operation of radio communications, but so far the coronal mass ejection has not yet reached the Earth. I don’t think there will be any catastrophic things. Absolutely working situation. The centers of IZMIRAN, NASA or in the UK give calm forecasts,” he added scientist.
There will be no apocalypse
Sergei Bogachev, chief researcher at FIAN, also believes that a solar flare does not threaten the lives of cosmonauts on the ISS and the existence of our civilization. According to the expert, solar activity can give rise to auroras, which can be seen with a high probability even in Moscow.
“Serious consequences should not be expected - this outbreak is large, first of all, for the Sun itself. At the same time, one should not forget that the Sun is a dwarf star, and it cannot produce events of such magnitude that could completely destroy the planet. the fact that life has existed for four billion years confirms this statement," Bogachev explained in an interview with RIA Novosti.
“Therefore, you need to understand that this is a very large event, but it will not lead to an apocalypse. We are on the surface of the Earth, and we are protected from such influences by its atmosphere and magnetic field,” the specialist added.
According to him, "secondary effects" from the outbreak are possible on Earth, in particular magnetic storms.
“They arise as a result of the fact that the Sun during such flares throws out clouds of plasma that move towards our planet at great speed and collide with the Earth’s magnetic field, causing its lines to oscillate. In the next three days, the Earth’s magnetic field will be in a perturbed state ", added the scientist.
