Dangerous solar flares may be happening much more frequently than previously thought.

The Sun is known to be a “temperamental” star, as evidenced by the strongest solar storms this year, which, in particular, led to the appearance of the northern lights in regions where they usually do not occur.

However, a new study by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (Germany) indicates that stars similar to the Sun can produce more powerful flares with relatively short periods. The press service of the university reports this.

On Earth, evidence of severe solar “tantrums” has already been found in the trunks of prehistoric trees and in samples of thousand-year-old glacial ice, but it is impossible to determine the frequency of superflares from these indirect sources. .

So, as part of a new study, scientists checked 56 thousand 450 sun-shaped stars for the period from 2009 to 2013.

Ultra-luminous Sun-like stars are ten times more common than previously thought, according to NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. The Sun is probably capable of equally strong eruptions, the article says.

Superflares, which release more than one octillion joules of energy in a short period of time, appear in observational data as short, pronounced brightness peaks.

We cannot observe the Sun for thousands of years, scientists note. “At the same time, we can observe the behavior of thousands of stars very similar to the Sun over short periods of time. This helps us estimate how often superflares occur.

Thus, Kepler data provided scientists with the opportunity to observe a total of 220 thousand years of stellar activity. As a result, the researchers identified 2 thousand 889 superflares from 2 thousand 527 out of 56 thousand 450 observed stars.

This means that on average, one sun-like dawn produces a superflare about once every century, the paper notes.

Scientists were very surprised that stars like the Sun are subject to such frequent superflares:

• Previous studies by other research groups have found average intervals of a thousand or even 10 thousand years. However, due to the insufficient development of technology, they could not determine the exact source of the observed flare and therefore were forced to limit themselves to stars that did not have too close neighbors. This study is the most accurate to date;
• longer average time intervals between extreme solar events have also been suggested by studies looking for evidence of severe solar storms affecting Earth. Such storms lead to an increase in the amount of carbon-14 isotope in tree rings and glaciers. Based on these indicators, scientists identified five extreme events and three probable ones over the past 12 thousand years, which indicated an average frequency of occurrence of once every 1,500 years. It is believed that the strongest of them occurred in 775.

However, it is quite possible that more such violent events occurred on the Sun in the past.

It is unclear whether giant flares are always accompanied by coronal mass ejections and what the connection is between superflares and extreme solar events. This requires further research, the scientists note.

At the same time, the new study does not show exactly when the Sun will arrange its next “surprise.” Scientists urge caution:

• Thus, during the Carrington event of 1859, one of the most severe solar storms in the last 200 years, the telegraph network failed across large parts of northern Europe and North America. It is estimated that the flare associated with it released only a hundredth of the energy of a superflare;
• Today, in addition to the infrastructure on the surface of the Earth, satellites are now primarily under threat. So in this case, they may have to be turned off as a preventive measure. The European Space Agency’s Vigil probe is scheduled to launch in 2031, which from a more distant point in space will help spot flares earlier.

The new findings are a stark reminder that even the most extreme solar events are part of the sun’s natural repertoire, the researchers note.

Source: Racurs

David

I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.