The surface and atmosphere of our sun
(pictured) is constantly active, throwing out huge explosions of
material into space with the power of 100 million megaton bombs, but it
is dwarved by the superflares from the star KIC9655129, which release
the energy of a billion megaton bombs
THE WORLD WILL HAVE JUST 12 HOURS WARNING IF THE SUN ERUPTS
The
world will get just 12 hours warning if a huge explosion of high energy
particles from the surface of the sun heads our way, a recent report
has cautioned.
A
plan to help prepare for major bursts of 'space weather' has been
published by the British government, outlining what needs to be done to
cope with such an event.
It says that a massive solar phenomenon would disrupt transport networks, cause blackouts and disrupt satellites.
The
report warns that GPS systems could go down for up to three days at a
time, leaving train networks and shipping badly affected.
While
mobile phones and landlines are expected to be unaffected, satellite
communication and high frequency radio communication used by shipping
and aircraft, could also go down for several days.
Power grids could also be effected, leading to black outs in some areas.
The
document warns that the most harmful element of severe space weather is
a major coronal mass ejection, where huge eruptions blast high energy
particles out into space.
It
also warns that major solar flares – caused by a build-up of magnetic
energy that releases blasts of radiation across the solar system - can
also pose a risk.
The
report states: 'Space weather results from solar activity. Solar
activity can produce X-rays, high energy particles and Coronal Mass
Ejections of plasma.
'Where such activity is directed towards Earth there is the potential to cause wide-ranging impacts.
'These include power loss, aviation disruption, communication loss, and disturbance to (or loss) of satellite systems.'
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