What would happen to earth if we were struck by a solar flare?

Answer 1

Technically, earth gets bombarded all the time by solar flares. Or more technically, the energy that is released from them. Ever wonder why some days the Internet is really slow or every ones cell phone isn't working properly???

I'm not saying that it is all related to the sun, but it has a lot to do with it. I read an article a couple months ago that talked about the supernova scientists spotted last year. They said if the supernova had been 100,000 light years closer (which is not that far relatively speaking) the energy released could have stripped every ones information off of their credit cards.

Even scarier is the fact that there are stars in our galaxy too close for comfort on the brink of supernova-ing. If one did supernova, our sun would be the least of our problems. An energy release like that would strip the earth of its atmosphere.

The sun's solar flares aren't quite powerful enough to do much more than create northern lights as far south as the equator and create havoc with communication satellites.

Answer 2

Here are some possibilities if we were struck by a solar flare :

1. High speed gamma particles impact the ionosphere and can severely interfere with communications.

2. Satellites can be disabled or permanently damaged if the energy level is high enough to exceed acceptable design limits. Design limits are based on past solar history.

3. X-ray energy of this magnitude can be deadly to any astronauts in unshielded spacecraft.

4. An intense flare can disrupt satellite communications. This will effect long distance telephone, radio and television networks and data links such as the internet.

5. Insulators on high tension power lines are have convoluted surfaces, which appear as ribs. This lengthens the effective distance from the power line to the tower, by using this zig-zag pattern. If the atmosphere is highly ionized, it shortens this zig-zag pattern by creating a straight line of ionized conductive air over the outside of the insulator. This causes the power line insulators to electrically arc to the grounded steel tower arm. This is a classic "short circuit." The arcing immediately trips circuit breakers, which cannot be reset until the ionization subsides. When this happened in Quebec back in the 90's power was out for five days. It was known to be directly caused by a coronal mass ejection from the sun, which struck the earth over that part of Canada.

Answer 3

A solar flare could never hit the earth and there are actually a few every month and we're still here.

Answer 4

Depends on how bad of a flare, a really bad one could kill us all. They believe the moon was hit by a minor one in the last 100,000 years, all the tops of the moon rocks were burned on the surface.

Answer 5

Earth is way too far away from the sun. It just wouldn't happen.

Answer 6

If we were that close to the Sun, there wouldn't be anyone alive to see.

Answer 7

It would suck for anyone who isn't wearing a sunblock of SPF 2 million.

Answer 8

roast earth, served hot n crispy