Superflares have appeared in the Milky Way’s edges in recent years. These happen when stars let out enormous bursts of energy from lightyears away. Scientists had no idea why these stars behave this way, until recently. They only assumed that the explosions only happened to the active and young stars.
A new study has shown confidently that superflares can also happen to more mature stars like ours. This may be quite rare, about only once every three thousand years. Yuta Notsu, visiting researcher at CU Boulder and lead author of the said study said that the results must be a wake-up call for all Earthly life. Let’s say a superflare blasted from the sun. Our planet would most probably be in the path of a high level of radiation. It can interrupt electronics on a global scale, bringing forth shorted out satellites and blackouts.
Age matters when it comes to superflares. If superflares occurred thousands of years ago, ancient people might have just seen auroras. If they occur now, with our electronics, it may lead to much bigger cataclysmic problems.
Superflares have appeared in the Milky Way’s edges in recent years. These happen when stars let out enormous bursts of energy from lightyears away. Scientists had no idea why these stars behave this way, until recently. They only assumed that the explosions only happened to the active and young stars.
A new study has shown confidently that superflares can also happen to more mature stars like ours. This may be quite rare, about only once every three thousand years. Yuta Notsu, visiting researcher at CU Boulder and lead author of the said study said that the results must be a wake-up call for all Earthly life. Let’s say a superflare blasted from the sun. Our planet would most probably be in the path of a high level of radiation. It can interrupt electronics on a global scale, bringing forth shorted out satellites and blackouts.
Age matters when it comes to superflares. If superflares occurred thousands of years ago, ancient people might have just seen auroras. If they occur now, with our electronics, it may lead to much bigger cataclysmic problems.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190612084349.htm