On the afternoon of May 5th
National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center
Publish a solar flare information alert
Beijing time 14:01 on May 5, 2024
The sun erupted with a strong flare (magnitude X1.3)
The continent was daylight at the time of the event
The flare had an effect on the ionosphere over the continent
Expected for the next three days
There is still a possibility of an M-class or even X-class flare or higher
Defense Guide
Communication systems avoid deterioration or interruption of communication quality by adjusting the communication frequency or changing the communication method. The National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center will closely track the development of the event and release forecast and early warning information in a timely manner.
Earlier, at 10:22 on May 3, a strong flare (magnitude X1.6) erupted from the Sun, which had an impact on the ionosphere over the continent.
What is a solar flare?
Solar flares are one of the most violently active phenomena on the Sun, with a cycle of about 11 years. The main observation characteristics are that the local area of the solar atmosphere suddenly brightens, often accompanied by the enhancement of electromagnetic radiation and particle emission in various energy bands, and the brightness rises rapidly and decreases slowly.
Although the lifespan of a solar flare
Only between a few minutes and tens of minutes
But the energy released is equivalent to:
The total energy of 100,000 or even a million strong volcanic eruptions
or equivalent to the explosion of tens of billions of hundred-ton hydrogen bombs
A solar flare acts as an intense energy eruption on the surface of the Sun
分为A、B、C、M、X五个级别
where A is the lowest level of energy
The two solar flares in May were both maximum magnitude X
Between January and October 2024
The 25th solar cycle activity peaks
It is the "solar maximum"
Other words
The Sun will be in 2024
Reach the peak of the current active cycle
How does a solar strong flare affect the Earth?
What kind of impact will the eruption of a strong solar flare have on us living on the earth? If we regard the eruption of a flare as a "sneeze" of the sun, will the earth also "catch a cold"?
According to experts, the outer atmosphere of the sun erupts from the surface of the sun, forming a solar wind that fills the entire solar system, and the earth is immersed in it, but we can survive only with the earth's magnetic field as a natural barrier. Solar activity causes various changes in the solar wind and the Earth's space environment, just as the short-term change processes in the Earth's atmosphere are called "weather", and the various short-term change processes that occur in the Sun-Earth space are called "space weather". Intense solar activity, such as flares and coronal mass ejections, often create space weather events that disturb the Earth and may trigger "space weather disasters".
These disasters are mainly emitted by the sun in the form of radiation and energetic materials, affecting near-Earth space as well as man-made facilities on the ground. For example, solar flares affect the Earth's ionosphere on the sunny side, short-wave communications, navigation and positioning, maritime search and rescue, and some emergency communications are closely related to the state of the ionosphere. With the progress of human space science and technology, this kind of disaster is gradually becoming prominent, especially affecting the safety of satellites and spacecraft, as well as aviation, communications, navigation and other fields.
How do solar flares affect our lives?
Chen Anqin, Chief Forecaster of the National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center: In fact, the impact of solar flares itself is relatively small, but some other phenomena associated with it, such as coronal mass ejections reaching the Earth, may cause some strong geomagnetic storms. At this time, such as long-distance power transmission, some loads should be reduced, power supply should be reduced, and the loads of some satellites should also be appropriately turned off to reduce the impact.
Geomagnetic storms are not all bad, such as the occurrence of aurora celestial phenomena, if the geomagnetic storm is particularly strong, and even further south it is possible to see the aurora.
Netizen: "No wonder I'm particularly sleepy today~"
Source: @国家预警发布, China Weather Network
CCTV news client