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Surprise ‘prolonged’ solar flare threat revealed as scientists warn of ‘failures in tech that people rely on daily’
While their potential for harm is often sensationalized, solar flares are now thought to have a bigger impact
SOLAR flares pose an unexpected threat to communication systems on Earth, including technology that people use regularly.
The term describes a sudden, intense burst of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun's surface.
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Solar flares have disrupted GPS and radio signals and even triggered global blackouts.
While their impact is often exaggerated, new research suggests solar flares may be more damaging than scientists thought.
A study published today in The Astrophysical Journal found that a secondary emission phase could be equally disruptive to communication systems.
Due to its longer duration, the energy in the so-called Extreme Ultraviolet late phase is believed to exceed that of a solar flare's main phase.
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This elapsed time has a notable impact on the ionosphere, part of Earth's upper atmosphere that grows and shrinks depending on energy absorbed from the Sun.
“The study of the influence of solar flares on the Earth’s upper atmosphere, known as the ionosphere, remains to be a significant focus," corresponding author Dr. Susanna Bekker said.
“Studies have indicated that the illuminated part of the Earth’s ionosphere is extremely sensitive to variations in solar radiation fluxes, which can cause failures in technology that people rely on daily.”
Recent findings have shown that many solar flares have an EUV late phase.
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Like earthquakes and other natural phenomena, solar flares are classified based on their potential impact on Earth.
Their power is denoted by a letter, beginning with A-class, followed by B, C, M, and X.
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Each letter represents a 10-fold increase in energy, making an X-class flare by far the most intense.
The most recent solar flare was an X-class flare that erupted on August 14, lighting up the night sky with vivid auroras.
This followed an X-class flare on May 14 and an extremely rare "double" X-class flare in March, which triggered one of the most powerful geomagnetic storms seen on Earth in over six years.
Researchers examined data from X-class flares to see how the ionosphere responded to an EUV late-phase flare.
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"During more powerful events, the effect on the ionosphere is much higher," Bekker explained.
This means the late phase can also wreak havoc on the technology people use daily.
The researchers' findings are expected to extend to other areas of science as well.
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“The insights gained from this research may also apply to the study of planets around other stars," co-author Dr. Ryan Milligan said.
“We believe that further study of the complex dynamics of ionospheric layers due to changes in the Sun’s behavior is necessary to improve the accuracy of modeling and forecasting such events.”
What is a solar flare?
You may have heard of solar flares' disruptive impact on communication technology - but what are they?
Solar flares are large outbursts of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun's surface.
In order of increasing power, solar flares are classified by the letters A, B, C, M, and X, with X-class flares being the biggest.
The phenomenon occurs when magnetic energy builds up in the solar atmosphere and is suddenly released.
Solar flares tend to explode from regions of the Sun that contain sunspots.
These darker portions of the solar surface contain the strongest magnetic fields.
We have already witnessed several solar flares this year, amid solar cycle 25.
Solar maximum - the highest rate of activity during the Sun's 11-year solar cycle - is predicted to occur next year.
This means we will likely see even more solar flares in 2025.
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