On the afternoon of May 5th
Issued by the National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center
Yellow Warning for flares
At 14:01 Beijing time on May 5, 2024, a strong flare (X1.3) erupted from the sun. The event occurred during daylight on the continent and the flare had an impact on the ionosphere over the continent. It is expected that in the next three days, there is still a possibility of an M-class or even X-class flare or above.
Some netizens left a message
"I'm always sleepy and have a headache today"
"Is it okay if the mobile phone signal is not smooth?"
"Does it affect my work?"
so
Erupting flares to the end of our daily lives
What are the implications?
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What is a solar flare?
Solar flares are one of the most intense activity phenomena on the Sun. 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 is only between a few minutes and tens of minutes, the energy released is equivalent to the total energy of 100,000 or even a million powerful volcanic eruptions, or equivalent to the explosion of tens of billions of hundred-ton hydrogen bombs.
As a strong energy eruption on the surface of the sun, solar flares are divided into five levels: A, B, C, M, and X, of which A is the least energetic level and X is the maximum energy level.
What does it mean for us?
A flare is like a "sneeze" from the sun, and the earth may also "catch a cold".
The damage caused by a solar flare outbreak to the Earth usually depends on the level of the flare, its duration, and the amount of energy released. In general, the X-class is the strongest flare class and has the potential to have a significant impact on Earth and potentially cause a "space weather disaster".
At 05:55 on January 1, 2024, Beijing time, a strong flare (magnitude X5.0) erupted on the sun
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 will affect the Earth's ionosphere on the sunny side, short-wave communications, navigation and positioning, maritime search and rescue, some emergency communications, and even mobile phone communications may be interfered with, and long-distance high-voltage power transmission systems and oil pipelines on the ground will also be affected.
Since the first solar cycle was observed in 1755, humanity is now experiencing an upward phase of the 25th solar cycle. It can be expected that solar activity will gradually increase and that solar flares and coronal mass ejections will occur more frequently.
But don't panic, the Earth has its own "gas mask" – the magnetic field, which helps us block most of the high-energy particles from solar eruptions. In addition, scientific researchers will track the eruption of the solar atmosphere in a timely manner through various types of solar observation equipment, do a good job of space weather forecasting and early warning, selectively turn off the power grid during special periods, and adjust communication systems, aircraft routes or satellite orbits in time to minimize the impact of solar activities.
Source: National Emergency Broadcasting, National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center, CCTV News