You can talk endlessly about the sun. No one will argue that it is the source and guardian of life on Earth. But what life has bestowed can take it away. Is it possible. Is the Sun dangerous for us, is it a threat to our security in the foreseeable future?
The sun has a magnetic field. Its interaction with plasma substances causes excessive activity - winds, spots, solar flares, etc. Let us consider the latter phenomenon in more detail.
A solar flare is an explosive process that leads to the release of billions of megatons of energy (kinetic, light, thermal). A wave of electromagnetic radiation flying at the speed of light reaches the Earth in a few minutes. But the luminary also emits a large number of hot gases, the so-called coronary emissions. It will take them four days to reach our planet. This is a tremendous stream of protons, electrons, iron, oxygen, helium, and some other heavier elements.
A flash on the Sun causes disturbance of the Earth's magnetic field. These changes induce powerful direct current, which can cause significant damage to electrical networks. One damaged node entails a “fan” shutdown (“domino effect”). Such an emergency cascade was felt by residents of some European countries in 2006.
It is this stream of sunlight that causes the phenomenon that we call the northern lights.
The theme of the end of the world is constantly discussed in the press. At the heart of one of the versions is a flash on the Sun. According to some scientists, it will destroy all life on Earth. Even if the process turns out to be too transient, the ozone layer will still not withstand and collapse, which means the death of our civilization. It is interesting that radiation will destroy living organisms, but infections and viruses will not be affected.
Although many are skeptical of such conversations, scientists prove abnormal activity in the sun. Outbreaks cause magnetic storms on our planet, which affect the well-being of a person.
Even if we do not die from radiation, a strong flash on the Sun will damage transformer systems. For modern humanity, this is a real disaster. The whole planet may be without electricity. It will take a lot of money and time to recover. “Blackout” on a planetary scale in a high-tech society does not seem a bright prospect.
As a result of such a solar “attack” earthlings will not die, but in the coming months the number of victims will progress at an incredible speed. Gas, oil and water pipelines, as well as life support systems in hospitals, will stop. Factories that will have to produce new equipment will not work either. But in the dark it will be convenient to observe the “salute” from electric discharges and the northern lights, which can be seen in all corners of the world (now this beauty is available only to residents of the polar regions).
Electromagnetic collapse will fall upon us suddenly and without warning, we will be unprepared for such a crushing disaster. An alarm will rush from the satellite to the space research center in Houston, but humanity will only have a few minutes to take defensive measures. Scientists believe that any effort will prove futile.
