Recently, according to the forecast of the National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center, geomagnetic activity may occur on the 10th and 11th, of which a geomagnetic storm above moderate may occur on the 11th, and it is expected that the geomagnetic activity will continue until the 11th or even the 12th. "Solar flare" has also become the most discussed word on the Internet, and has been on the hot search many times, and the discussion on Weibo has exceeded 500 million times.
What exactly are solar flares and geomagnetic storms? Why is this happening? It all starts with solar activity......
What is solar activity
Solar activity is the general term for all the active phenomena in the solar atmosphere. There are mainly sunspots, light spots, spectral spots, flares, solar and coronal transient events, etc.
Caused by electromagnetic processes in the Sun's atmosphere. The period is intense and sometimes weak, with an average cycle of 11 or 22 years. The Sun during periods of intense activity (known as the "Perturbation Sun") radiates large amounts of ultraviolet light, X-rays, particle streams, and intense radio waves, which often cause phenomena such as auroras, magnetic storms, and ionospheric disturbances on Earth. Solar activity mainly affects communication and navigation systems.
It can be seen that solar flares belong to a type of solar activity, while geomagnetic storms, although not solar activity, are also a "chain reaction" caused by solar activity.
About solar flares
The National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center issued a solar flare information tip: At 17:13 on May 9, 2024, Beijing time, a strong flare (X2.2 magnitude) erupted on the sun
Screenshot of the warning
Source: The official Weibo of the National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center
Since the beginning of this month, there have been several solar flares, and there were three strong flares on May 5 and 6, Beijing time, with a level of x4.5, which is a large flare.
What is a solar flare
A solar flare is one of the most intense forms of solar activity. It is generally believed to occur in the chromosphere, so it is also called "chromosphere explosion". Its main observation feature is that the rapidly developing bright spot suddenly appears on the surface of the sun, and its lifetime is only between a few minutes and tens of minutes, and the brightness rises rapidly and decreases slowly, especially when the flare appears frequently and becomes stronger.
Solar flare Source: China Social Science Network
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.
Source: CCTV News
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.
But don't worry, there is also a cycle for the sun to "lose its temper", on average every 11 years, the solar activity will show a cyclical change from weak to strong, and then from strong to weak, which is the solar activity week. It is currently in the 25th solar week of bounty, and the Sun will reach the peak of its current activity cycle in 2024.
What do solar flares affect?
Although flares are a type of solar activity, and the sun is far away from the earth, flares are like the sun sneezing, 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".
Solar flare outbreak Source: CCTV 1
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, and some emergency communications, and even mobile phone communications may be interfered with. Long-distance high-voltage transmission systems and pipelines on the ground will also be affected.
Does it affect astronauts
The Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft was successfully launched on the evening of April 25, and the astronaut crew Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, who carried out the Shenzhou-18 manned mission, have just entered the "space journey", so will they be affected?
The Long March-2F Yao-18 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft was ignited and launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Xie Lun, an associate professor at Peking University's Institute of Space Science and Technology, said, "The high-energy particles and radiation released by solar flares have the potential to penetrate the protective layer of the space station and increase the risk of astronauts' exposure to radiation to a certain extent." ”
However, everyone can rest assured that the safety of astronauts is not without guarantees. "They may need to wear special protective clothing to reduce radiation exposure, or move to radiation shelter areas inside the space station, which are usually located in the core part of the space station and have thicker radiation shielding," Sherren said in an interview with Chao News. ”
What do we do on Earth
Currently in the ascending phase of the 25th solar cycle, it can be expected that solar activity will gradually increase, and solar flares and coronal mass ejections will occur more and more often. But don't worry too much, the Earth has its own "gas mask" – the magnetic field, which helps us block most of the high-energy particles from the solar eruption.
In addition, scientific researchers will use various solar observation equipment to track the eruption activities of the solar atmosphere in a timely manner, 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.
About geomagnetic storms
Does the name "geomagnetic storm" sound familiar? Geomagnetic storm is a global violent disturbance phenomenon of the earth's magnetic field, when the charged particles in the solar storm impact the earth's magnetic field, the strength and direction of the earth's magnetic field will change sharply and irregularly.
How did a geomagnetic storm form?
When there is solar activity, hundreds of millions of tons of solar material may be ejected at a high speed of hundreds of kilometers per second, forming a solar storm.
Under the bombardment of this large wave of high-energy particles, electromagnetic radiation and other solar matter, no life can survive. But the reason why the Earth "survived" was because the Earth had its own magnetic field.
When a solar storm hits the Earth's magnetic field, the magnetosphere is also deformed, and some charged particles enter the atmosphere through the magnetic fields of the Earth's poles, triggering brilliant auroras.
Source: China Science Expo
Generally, after the solar eruption, electromagnetic radiation will reach the earth in about 8 minutes, and then a large number of charged particles will reach the earth in dozens of minutes at the earliest, which is the second round of impact. Finally, there is the coronal mass ejection, which will arrive in a few days and may cause a drastic change in the Earth's magnetic field in a short period of time, and if this change in the Earth's magnetic field exceeds a certain value, it is a geomagnetic storm.
Classification of geomagnetic storms
According to the intensity, geomagnetic storms are divided into small geomagnetic storms, geomagnetic storms, and extra-geomagnetic storms.
Correspondence table of space weather levels Source: China Weather Network
As mentioned earlier, about every 11 years, solar activity will enter the trough from the peak to the trough and back to the peak, and this year, it is a big year of solar activity, and there have been continuous solar eruptions recently, which are basically dominated by solar flares, and according to the forecast, there may be a moderate or above geomagnetic storm on the 11th.
What are the effects of geomagnetic storms?
The direct impact of geomagnetic storms on the human body is, in a word, basically no effect.
Typical geomagnetic storms don't occur for too long. In addition, a geomagnetic storm is a "sharp and irregular change in the intensity and direction of the Earth's magnetic field in a short period of time", which does not mean that the magnetic field is no longer effective.
A coronagraph carried by a SOHO satellite
Captured coronal mass ejection process
Source: National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center of China Meteorological Administration
However, it will have a certain impact on aerospace vehicles, such as various satellites, mainly affecting communications, navigation, etc., and if the geomagnetic storm is severe, aircraft and ships that rely on instruments, radio communications, and GPS navigation may also be affected, and it is safe to assume that these impacts are also measurable and controllable.
This year happens to be a big year for solar activity, and we don't need to worry too much about it on Earth, there is no research to prove that solar activity has a direct and obvious impact on the human body, and as for solar activity to make people sleepy, there is not enough research to prove this claim.
We just need to calm down and live each day happily!