Scientists uncover the remains of an ancient solar flare

Ana sayfa / Popular Science

Scientists have uncovered evidence of an unprecedented solar flare known as the “Miyake Event”, which hit Earth 14,300 years ago. During such events, the Sun emits large amounts of solar particles and radiation into the Earth’s atmosphere, causing an increase in the levels of radiocarbon stored in tree rings.

This discovery points to a massive solar flare

Research published in The Royal Society’s Philosophical Transactions A reveals the potentially devastating impact of massive solar storms on our technology.

Tim Heaton, a professor at the University of Leeds, warned of the devastating effects such storms could have on Earth. They could permanently damage transformers in power grids, leading to widespread blackouts lasting for months.

In 1989, for example, there was a major blackout during a coronal mass ejection on the Sun. This event knocked out power to millions of people in Québec, Canada, demonstrating the fragility of humanity’s electrical infrastructure.

During this 1989 event, a coronal mass ejection hit the Earth’s magnetic field on March 12, and within minutes, Québec’s entire power grid collapsed, causing a 12-hour blackout. The potential impact of the Miyake Event is expected to be even more severe, as it was 14,300 years ago.

Researchers have identified nine Miyake Event remnants through evidence found in tree rings and ice cores, including those from 993 AD and 774 AD. But this newly discovered 14,300-year-old storm stands out as the largest ever found, at nearly twice the size of previously known events.

This finding is a stark reminder of the potential dangers that massive solar storms pose to our modern technological infrastructure. This, in turn, raises a number of questions.

For example, as humanity, wouldn’t it be better to spend the power and material resources that we would spend on going into space and establishing a colony there, for the sake of our Earth, which is already a habitable planet? What do you think? Please don’t forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments.