Catastrophic solar superflares that burn electronics are more common than thought — study

Superflares on the Sun, capable of damaging electronics, were considered rare. New research claims they could happen once every 100 years.

Intense solar storms, which are 10,000 times stronger than usual flares, emit intense electromagnetic radiation into space. It can fry electronics, destroy data servers, and disable satellites. Their consequences weren’t too catastrophic a century ago, but are particularly dangerous now, due to the advancement of electronics.

The study, conducted by astronomers from the Max Planck Institute and published in the journal Science, examined over 56,000 sun-like stars observed by NASA’s Kepler telescope from 2009 to 2013. During this window, they identified 2889 superflares on 2527 of these stars.

Previous estimates, on a smaller sample, suggested that sun-like stars might flare with extraordinary power once every few thousand years. The new, more comprehensive analysis shows that sun-like stars, more likely, flare on average once a century. Researchers explain the radically different result by overcoming biases in previous studies. They excluded many sun-like stars, only considering those that had a rotation period like the Sun’s.

The potential consequences of superflares for Earth could be truly terrifying. The infamous “Carrington Event” of 1859, one of the most powerful solar storms in modern history, released energy equivalent to 10 billion megaton nuclear bombs.

Of course, the new study doesn’t prove that the Sun will soon provoke such an extreme event. There are open questions, such as potential differences between the observed flares of stars and conditions on our own Sun. One of which is that 30% of these stars exist in binary systems with others, which could induce flares through tidal forces.

Researchers acknowledge that further studies are necessary to assess the real risk to Earth. Better forecasting of space weather and monitoring with the help of future Sun observation missions, like the European Space Agency’s Vigil probe planned for launch in 2031, might provide more clarity.

Source: Live Science