Strong “superflares” could be produced by our Sun far more frequently than scientists had previously believed. Additionally, a recent study’s data indicates that one of them is anticipated soon enough, as reported by Live Science.
Solar megastorms that are significantly more powerful than typical solar flares are known as superflares. They are capable of causing untold damage, as they can burn electronics, erase data, and knock satellites out of orbit.
Previous studies by observing stars like ours suggested that superflares probably occur once every few thousand years. But a new study of 56,000 stars has shown that stars like the Sun can emit powerful superflares much more often, about once every century.
“Our results show that sun-like stars can indeed produce superflares. Ionizing radiation, ultraviolet, and X-rays from a superflare (and from a [coronal mass ejection, a plasma wave ejected from the Sun] if it accompanies a superflare) can have a significant impact,” said Valeriy Vasilyev from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research.
Strong magnetic fields are produced by the charged ions swirling over the surface of the Sun, a massive ball of plasma. Because magnetic field lines cannot cross each other, these fields sometimes tie up before suddenly breaking apart to trigger bursts of radiation called solar flares, sometimes accompanied by massive coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
But some ancient evidence, such as sudden spikes in radiocarbon levels found in tree rings, has shown that the Sun is capable of producing flares hundreds of times more powerful than the Carrington event. And if they are directed at Earth, such storms can be catastrophic.
Scientists observed 56,450 stars using data from the Kepler telescope to determine the probability that the Sun will produce a superflare. They were able to identify 2,889 superflares originating from 2,527 stars similar to our Sun between 2009 and 2013.
Compared to previous studies, this is a big step forward in the frequency of destructive outbreaks. Scientists think that the difference results from the fact that stars with rotational periods similar to the Sun were taken into consideration in earlier research.
Due to the difficulty of recording the rotation periods associated with the star’s activity, many stars that resemble the Sun have remained out of the scope of research.
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