Solar Storm

Source-This post on Solar Storm is based on the article “Sun’s fury: The dangers from solar storms:” published in “The Hindu” on 14th May 2024.

Why in the News?

Recently powerful solar storm struck Earth, creating vivid displays of color in the skies of the Northern Hemisphere.

About Solar Storm

1. About Solar flare: Solar flares are intense storms of plasma that occur on the sun’s surface, releasing a surge of charged particles into space. This phenomenon generates a solar wind that carries a magnetic field across space.

2. Earth’s Defense Mechanism to solar flares

i) Earth is shielded by its own magnetic field, known as the magnetosphere. It is the outermost layer of our atmosphere. This shield helps to block most of the solar flares, which are bursts of energy and particles that come from the sun. However, when really strong solar flares happen, they can sometimes get through this shield.

ii) Strong flares introduce charged particles into the lower atmosphere, leading to natural phenomena like the Aurora borealis (Northern Lights) and disrupting electronic systems.

3. Impact on Technology

i) Solar flares can cause significant damage to satellites, similar to a bolt of lightning striking electronic equipment.

ii) These flares can also severely affect power grids by overwhelming their protective measures, leading to potential destruction due to the unpredictable magnitude of flares.

iii) Solar activity can heat up the Earth’s atmosphere, affecting satellites’ trajectories and operational integrity.

iv) Strong solar storms have the potential to disrupt power systems, communication networks, and navigation services which are essential for modern society to function.

4. Future Risks and Protective Measures

i) The sun’s evolving nature suggests that solar storms could intensify in the future, increasing risks for our satellite-based, radio, and electrical infrastructure.

ii) Enhanced global monitoring and predictive capabilities via solar observatories could mitigate some risks by allowing timely interventions.

iii) Innovations in AI and potential shielding technologies are being explored to improve defences against these cosmic threats.

Why is the Sun currently so active?

i) The Sun experiences an 11-year cycle called the solar cycle, characterized by alternating periods of increased and decreased solar activity.

ii) The peak of this cycle, known as the solar maximum, is marked by a higher frequency of sunspots and solar storms.

iii) During this phase, the Sun’s magnetic field becomes more tangled and chaotic, leading to more intense solar activity.

UPSC Syllabus: Science and technology