so big that it would kill people, or damage Earth
2007-03-13 14:32:38 · 14 answers · asked by Ignorant Guy. 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Solar flares come our way frequently. But the charged particles that are dangerous are deflected away from us by Earth's magnetic field. And the atmosphere protects us from other types of radiation. So solar flares are not dangerous--until you leave the magnetic field surrounding earth..
Just to give you a bit more info--the low orbits used by the Space Shuttle and International Space Station lie within the magnetic field. For longer trips--to the planets, or long term stays on the moon (and eventually Mars; neither has a magnetic field) astronauts will need special shielding--especially during major flares, when the radiation levels increase many times above the normal level (which is itself dangerous once you get away from the magnetic field of earth, though it's safe enough if the exposure is short--a few days). NASA and other scientists are currently working on ways to provide the necessary protection for future lunar bases and interplanetary flights.
2007-03-13 16:02:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its not the flare that would do the damage, its the "coronal mass ejection" that would accompany the flare.
A CME is a massive ball of charged gases, ions and magnetic fields that can travel from the sun to the earth (if its aimed our way) in about 15 hours. A powerful CME can disrupt electronic equipment, damage satellites in orbit, and if its strong enough can damage the earth's magnetosphere so it no longer protects us from x-rays and other cosmic radiation. And if its strong enough and of the opposite polarity of the earth's field, it can damage or destroy a lot of the life on earth.
So far we've been lucky (as far as we know), but there have been a few CMEs in the last hundred years that have caused some damage.
The more we rely on electronic communication and equipment (cell phones, GPS, computers) the more vulnerable our society is. Even if the CME doesn't do any physical harm to us or the planet, it could disrupt our lives. LIke the power failure a few years ago did - that wasn't caused by a CME, but it was a taste of what could happen.
2007-03-13 15:51:34 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Solar prominences can stretch into space for a hundred thousand miles, but that is a far cry from 93 million miles that separate the sun from the earth. A burst of solar radiation can have a certain direction to it, and it has happened that solar flares have fried electronic equipment in space and messed up communications on earth. If the astronauts had landed on the moon a month later, it is likely they would have been killed from the giant solar flare that happened around that time, but our earth's atmosphere is quite protective from solar radiation, ozone hole notwithstanding.
2007-03-13 14:38:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
A solar flare is a huge solar explosion equivalent to about 50 million atom bombs but it can't actually reach earth ; it produces electromagnetic radiation that would make everything using electricity stop working. Basically everything we use requires electricity including things like airplanes (which would fall out of the sky) and computers and, well, everything. Almost the whole world would stop working. Read more about it in wikipedia.
2007-03-13 15:24:54 · answer #4 · answered by Andre M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Solar Flares already impact earth without the need to come all the way to earth.
I would imagine that if that event were possible that it's impact would be very severe.
2007-03-13 14:38:26 · answer #5 · answered by Rick G 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Solar flares directed toward the earth are fairly common, but not to the extent that they have killed anyone. They sometimes disrupt radio communications.
2007-03-13 14:36:46 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's possible that one could be big enough to kill a lot of people and cause some major climate problems. Possible yet remote.
The Universe is trying to kill us--smile. We're just really stubborn :)
2007-03-13 14:41:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
In fact, it shoots flares in our direction all the time. But I don't believe that one as big as you ask about has ever happened.
OTOH they can (and do) play merry hell with communications on a fairly regular basis.
HTH âº
Doug
2007-03-13 14:36:04 · answer #8 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, not on purpose, though. It wouldn't probably make it to the face of the Earth!!!
duh
2007-03-13 14:36:30 · answer #9 · answered by beccablue152 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Supposively thats what scientist say.
2007-03-13 14:34:29 · answer #10 · answered by helloprissykitty 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋