"Railroad Storm", May 13, 1921. On that day, astronomers noticed a huge spot on the Sun with a radius of about 150 thousand kilometers. On May 15, a geomagnetic storm followed, which disabled half of the New York Central Railroad's equipment and left almost the entire East Coast of the United States without communications.

Solar flares on July 21, 2012. The active solar region 1520 fired a huge X1.4 class flare towards Earth, causing auroras and severe radio outages. Class X flares are the most powerful X-ray flares known. They usually do not reach the Earth themselves, but their influence on the magnetic field cannot be underestimated.

Outbreak of 1972 and Apollo 16. Traveling through space during maximum solar activity is extremely dangerous. In August 1972, the crew of Apollo 16 on the Moon narrowly escaped the impact of an X2-class flare. If the astronauts had been a little less fortunate, they would have received a dose of 300 rems of radiation, which would almost certainly have killed them within a month.

Solar flare on Bastille Day. On July 14, 2000, satellites detected a powerful X5.7 class flare on the surface of the Sun. The ejection was so strong that even Voyager 1 and 2, located at the edge of the solar system, detected it. Interruptions in radio communications were also observed throughout the Earth, and people flying over the poles of the planet received a dose of radiation - fortunately, a relatively small one.

The solar flare on August 9, 2011 marked the peak of the current solar cycle, reaching an intensity of X6.9. It was the largest of the cycle 24 ejecta detected by NASA's new satellite, the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The flare ionized the Earth's upper atmosphere, causing radio interference.

The largest outbreak of 2015 occurred on May 7th. Its power reached "only" the X2.7 class, but even this was enough to cause bright auroras and interruptions in communication. And besides - the most beautiful photographs from observing satellites.

The solar flare on December 5, 2006 reached a record power of X9, but fortunately it was not directed towards the Earth. Our planet, in principle, is a rather small “target”, with which humanity is very lucky. Two recently launched STEREO solar probes tracked the event from start to finish.

The geomagnetic storm on March 13, 1989 demonstrated how dangerous solar storms can become. The fallout from the X15 class outbreak caused power outages for millions of Canadians in Montreal and around Quebec. The electrical grids of the northern United States barely withstood the electromagnetic shock. All over the world, radio communications were interrupted and the aurora borealis spilled.

The "Halloween" flare in October 2003 was one of the most powerful X45 class solar storms ever detected. Most of it passed Earth, but the coronal mass ejections damaged a number of satellites and caused outages in telephone and mobile communications.

Superstorm Carrington. On September 1, 1859, astronomer Richard Carrington observed the brightest flare, the CME from which reached the Earth in only 18 hours. Telegraph networks failed throughout Europe and the United States, some stations caught fire from short circuits. That ejection wasn't the largest, around X10, but it hit the Earth in the perfect amount of time and caused the most damage.

The power of "solar storms" reaches billions of megatons of TNT - this is how much energy our entire civilization could consume in a million years. Coronal mass ejections are mainly electromagnetic radiation, which, when accurately hit the Earth, causes geomagnetic storms. Consequences - interruptions in communication and failure of electronics. Given that every year humanity increasingly relies on technology, a strong geomagnetic storm can create real chaos. Here are the 10 most powerful solar storms of the last two centuries.

The first flash, recorded at 09:10 GMT, was the most powerful since 2015, but it was soon eclipsed by a second ejection. A flare erupted from a large sunspot and was classed as X9.3 by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Center for Space Weather Prediction. The last time an X9-class flare was seen by astronomers was in 2009. The current outbreak occurred at a point that is located towards the Earth, so its impact on the planet can be maximum.

“Events of this power are among the largest that our star is only capable of producing and which are formed only under very rare, unique conditions, as a rule, at the stage of peak solar activity,” said the Laboratory of Solar X-Ray Astronomy of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Why an outbreak of this level occurred now, against the backdrop of a solar minimum, scientists have yet to figure out.

In total, flares are divided into five classes: A, B, C, M and X, which differ in the power of X-rays.

According to the center, the outbreaks were accompanied by disruptions in radio communications. High-frequency communication on the sunny side of the Earth worked with disturbances for an hour, as did the low-frequency communication used for navigation.

Solar flares occur when the Sun's magnetic field, which forms dark spots on the surface of a star, twists and releases energy, overheating the star's surface. In addition to interfering with radio communications at various frequencies, class X flares can cause radiation storms in the Earth's upper atmosphere. In addition, during such flares, the Sun can eject a cloud of charged plasma, which astronomers call a coronal mass ejection.

“The flares were accompanied by radio signals that spoke of a possible coronal mass ejection. However, we will have to wait for the results of the coronograph to find out if he was this time or not, ”Space.com quotes the words of Rob Steenberg, a center specialist.

The sunspot in the active solar region 2673 is the second largest and can accommodate seven of our planets in width and nine in height. On September 5, the same spot released a class M solar flare, which was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection directed towards the Earth. A cloud of charged plasma that will reach our planet in 3 or 4 days could damage satellites as well as power and communications systems.

Despite such events, scientists say that the Sun is approaching an 11-year minimum of its activity.

“We are moving towards a solar minimum, so these events are especially interesting, they just won’t happen as often. Class X outbreaks will not become a weekly event, but despite the fact that activity will fall, their potential strength will not decrease, ”Stenberg emphasized.

The expectation of a class X solar flare prompted a number of media outlets to recall the famous "Carrington Event" - the most powerful solar storm in history, which occurred in September 1859. Then the British astronomer Richard Carrington recorded a powerful flare, which was also accompanied by a coronal mass ejection directed towards the Earth. Aurora borealis were so intense around the world that you could read newspapers in their glow, as in daylight, NASA historians describe those events.

Northern lights were then observed even in tropical latitudes over Cuba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, El Salvador and Hawaii.

In the pre-electric year of 1859, the most significant consequence of the "Carrington Event" was the failure of telegraph systems in Europe and North America. However, if such an outbreak and coronal ejection happened today, the consequences could be much more tangible.

• Northern lights.

Some experts believe that if this event repeats, the inhabitants of the Earth should expect a simultaneous failure of cellular communications, GPS systems and power supply. A separate task would be the simultaneous mass landing of aircraft in the absence of satellite positioning. Cascading blackouts would follow.

It is believed that the cosmonauts who are at this time in near-Earth orbit would be in particular danger. In the case of working outside the station or spacecraft, they would have only a few minutes after the first flash of light in order to hide inside from the shower of solar particles in time.

According to NASA calculations, a repeat of the Carrington Event at this level of development would inflict losses of up to $ 2 trillion on humanity, and it would take about 10 years for a full recovery.

Only a complete renewal of the Earth's satellite fleet would require about $70 billion.

There was a fourth powerful flare on the Sun. Scientists have attributed it to class X, the highest of the five possible. The flare was assigned a score of X8.2, and the flare activity index this time reached 9.8 points out of 10 possible. The flashes that have occurred are a natural result of changes in the solar corona and do not pose any harm to human health.

The Laboratory of X-ray Solar Astronomy of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, citing data from the GOES-15 satellite, reports that the most powerful flare of the highest activity class was recorded around 19:00 Moscow time.

According to scientists, the explosion on the Sun belongs to the highest class X with a score of X8.2. For comparison, on Wednesday, September 6, there was the most powerful outbreak in 12 years with a score of X9.3.

On the index of outbreak activity, the outbreak that occurred on Sunday reaches 9.8 points out of 10.

The first two most powerful outbreaks occurred on September 6, while the second of them turned out to be the most powerful in the last 12 years. The next outbreak, which was assigned the highest activity class - X9.3, occurred on September 7, between 17.00 Moscow time and 18.00 Moscow time. One more - already on Friday, September 8, at 11.00 Moscow time.

These events on the same day caused disturbances in radio communications and GPS reception on the day side of the Earth, lasting about an hour. The head of the press service of VimpelCom PJSC (Beeline brand), Anna Aibasheva, said that the solar flare had not affected the communication system and everything was working normally.

“The solar flare did not affect the operation of the Beeline network. Everything is working as usual,” the company representative assured.

The solar flare that occurred on September 6th could cause failures in the operation of space technology, as well as communication systems. Such a warning was made by the head of the Space Weather Center of the Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergey Gaidash.

Solar flares are catastrophic phenomena on the surface of the Sun caused by the reconnection (reconnection) of magnetic field lines "frozen" into the solar plasma. At some point, the extremely twisted magnetic field lines break off and reconnect in a new configuration, releasing an enormous amount of energy.

Depending on the intensity of solar flares, they are classified, and in this case we are talking about the most powerful flares - the X-class. The energy released during such flashes is equivalent to the explosions of billions of megaton hydrogen bombs.

The strongest solar flare recorded in the modern era occurred on November 4, 2003, and it was classified as X28 (its consequences were not so catastrophic, since the ejection was not aimed directly at the Earth).

Extreme solar flares can be accompanied by powerful ejections of matter from the solar corona, the so-called coronal mass ejections. For the Earth, it can pose both a greater and lesser danger, depending on whether the release is directed directly at our planet. In any case, the effects of these emissions are felt after 1-3 days. We are talking about billions of tons of matter flying at a speed of hundreds of kilometers per second.

This time, a huge mass of matter was just on the way to Earth. This was evidenced by data from solar coronagraphs observing the outer layers of the solar atmosphere.

As expected, the extreme activity of the Sun has already caused the strongest magnetic storm on Earth, which was assigned the fourth level on a five-point scale.

“A cloud of plasma from the Sun came to the orbit of our planet at about 2 am Moscow time, about 12 hours earlier than expected. This means that its speed exceeded the expected 1.5 times, and the impact on the Earth was made with more power than expected.

The direction of the magnetic field of the ejection, based on the data of the ACE instrument, is unfavorable for our planet - the field is directed opposite to the Earth's and is currently "burning" the Earth's field lines," explained Sergey Bogachev, Chief Researcher at FIAN. However, current events are far from the so-called Carrington event - the most powerful geomagnetic storm in the entire history of observations that erupted in 1859. From August 28 to September 2, numerous sunspots and flares were observed on the Sun.

British astronomer Richard Carrington observed on September 1 the most powerful of them, which probably caused a large coronal mass ejection that reached the Earth in a record time of 18 hours. Unfortunately, at that time there were no modern instruments, but the consequences were obvious to everyone without it - from intense auroras in the equator region to sparking telegraph wires.

Surprisingly, the current events are taking place against the background of a decrease in the level of solar activity, when the natural 11-year cycle is completed, when the number of sunspots decreases. However, many scientists remind that it is precisely during the period of reduced activity that the most powerful outbreaks often occur, erupting, as it were, in the end.

A person cannot imagine his life without sunlight and heat. However, the Sun brings us not only joy. Every 11 years, cataclysms occur on it, which have a significant impact on our existence. What are the most powerful flares recorded on the Sun over the entire period of observations, and why are they dangerous for humanity?

The Greatest Storm of 1859

The Great Storm or Solar Superstorm was called the most powerful outbreak, happened in 1859. From the end of August to September 2, a sharp formation and disappearance of spots and flashes was observed on the Sun. Already modern scientists have established that these phenomena were accompanied by large-scale coronal mass ejections.

The largest burst of solar matter was noted on September 1 by scientist R. Carrington. The ejection caused phenomenal events on Earth. Across the planet, telegraph lines were decommissioned, people were left without communication, and the brightest “Northern Lights” blazed in the atmosphere.

Scientists claim that it was the strongest geomagnetic storm ever studied. The power of the solar vortex and the incredible speed with which stellar particles reached the Earth are explained by the fact that 2-3 previous days, coronal mass ejections "paved a direct path" from the Sun to the planet.

Solar Storm 774

But according to some researchers, the outbreak of 1859 cannot take a leading place in terms of its strength and speed of magnetic storms. There is an assumption that it is inferior to a more powerful solar storm that happened in 774 and had a significant negative impact on the planet.

Scientists checked the growth rings of old trees for the presence of radioactive carbon-14 and came to the conclusion that in 774 the sun really threw out an impressive amount of charged particles. In terms of its strength, the release exceeded the Superstorm of 1859 by almost 20 times. However, its intensity was much lower than expected and could not have ended in a planetary catastrophe.

Railroad storm of 1921

On May 13, 1921, a huge spot was noticed on the solar sphere. Its diameter was approximately 300 thousand kilometers. And 2 days later, a geomagnetic storm occurred, blocking the work of half of the technical facilities of the main railroad in New York. Almost the entire Eastern part of the United States became without communication.

1972 solar storm

On July 27, 1972, astronomers noted a major center of activity rising from the eastern edge of the Sun. Auroras and ejections began on the limb, the brightness of the corona increased, and the flux of radio emission increased. The first strong flare with a powerful range was recorded on August 2.

On August 4, there was a second burst of activity. After some time, the satellites recorded impressive proton fluxes, which indicated a sharp acceleration of solar particles. The second outbreak had an impressive impact on the processes in the upper layers of the earth's atmosphere.

The third outbreak occurred on 7 August. It was the most powerful in the visible range, but its influence was smaller compared to the previous surge.

It must be said that large solar disturbances are very dangerous for astronauts. During the storm of 1972, the Apollo 16 spacecraft was operating in low Earth orbit. The astronauts were only slightly affected by the X2 level flare. If it were not for luck, they would have been subjected to a large exposure to three hundred Rem, from which they would have died in a maximum of 3-4 weeks.

1989 solar storm

On March 13, an X15 level geomagnetic storm occurred, clearly showing the danger of solar disturbances. Its result was the de-energization of the mass of Canadian homes located in Montreal and on the outskirts of Quebec.

With difficulty resisted the electromagnetic pressure of the power grid of the northern states of the United States. The effects of the storm were felt throughout the world. The inhabitants of the planet could admire the unprecedented beauty of the Northern Lights.

During this period, radio communication between the USSR and the USA was blocked, and flashes of the northern lights were visible even over the Crimean sky. The deformed field of the planet destroyed one of the installations of the nuclear station in New Jersey.

Solar Storm on Bastille Day

On July 14, 2000, on the 211th anniversary of the capture of the Bastille, another solar storm was recorded, called the Bastille Day outbreak. Even the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, installed at a great distance from the Sun, were able to detect the strength of solar activity.

The consequences of this surge were felt in every corner of the Earth. Radio communication problems began. Passengers of planes that flew over the poles were exposed to radiation. Fortunately, his level was relatively small and did not play a detrimental role.

Halloween Flash

October 2003 was marked by one of the strongest X45 solar storms. Scientists were not able to accurately measure its power - the equipment of the orbiting telescopes could not withstand such a load and was "late" by more than 10 minutes.

Most of the solar flux passed without hitting the surface of the planet. But a number of satellites were damaged by coronal mass ejections, resulting in cell and telephone outages.

2005 outbreak

In September 2005, three cases of solar activity were noted: on September 7, 8 and 9. The outbreak on September 7 was the fourth most intense of those studied by science. According to official data, the electromagnetic impact on the circumplanetary space has reached the maximum degree of intensity R5.

On September 9, at the very peak of solar intensity, a record number of suicides occurred in Moscow - 10 people per day. Experts believe that the mass loss of life was also caused by a solar storm.

Solar storm of 2006

On December 5, 2006, a solar burst of X9 peak power was recorded. Fortunately, its flow was directed in the opposite direction from the Earth. This is evidenced by the data of two STEREO spacecraft installed in orbit to study stellar activity.

Solar disturbances of 2011

On August 9, 2011, a solar storm occurred, which became the peak of the last solar rotation. Her level was X6.9. This burst was called the leader of cycle 24. It was recorded by one of the NASA satellites, which was the property of the observatory for the study of stellar activity. The particles of the stream affected the upper layers of the earth's atmosphere, which led to malfunctions in radio communications.

2012 outbreak

This year, on July 21, serious problems with radio communications occurred on Earth. Many inhabitants of the planet could admire the unusually bright auroras. All these events were caused by a giant X1.4 level flare, which was released to the Earth by the dynamic solar region of 1520.

Solar disturbances of 2015

On May 7, 2015, there was another massive outbreak. Its activity was equal to the level X2.7. Many will think that this is quite a bit. But even such an indicator is enough to disrupt communication and cause the brightest polar flashes. In addition, we can now admire beautiful photographs taken from near-Earth satellites.

Solar Storm 2017

September 6, 2017 was marked by the most intense solar storm in the last 12 years. The flash was attributed to the X9.3 level, indicating the highest strength. The second powerful surge was recorded on September 7th, and the third on September 8th.

The final outbreak of unprecedented strength occurred on September 10th. The luminary “spit out” a huge mass of plasma into outer space. Scientists claim that the outbreaks on September 6 and 10 are among the strongest that the Sun can ever produce.

Causes and effects of solar disturbances

Solar storms are caused by a surge of energy in a star's atmosphere. The formation of the strongest storms depends on the magnetic fields of the star. Solar flares are called cataclysmic phenomena that form on the surface of a star.

The formation of solar storms takes place in several stages:

• Breakage of magnetic lines of force and their connection into a new structure;
• The release of an uncounted amount of energy;
• Overheating of the solar system;
• Acceleration of charged elements to superluminal speeds.

Flares are divided into groups depending on the level of X-ray emission. The degree of intensity is indicated by numbers from 1.0 to 9.9 for the letters A to X. Class X flares are considered the most powerful of all studied in terms of X-ray strength. In most cases, they do not reach the planet, but they have a significant effect on its magnetic field.

The energy released by superflares can be compared to the explosions of trillions of megaton atomic bombs. They are often accompanied by coronal mass ejections. This is the name given to trillions of tons of matter moving at a speed of several hundred km / s. Having reached our planet, they come into contact with its magnetosphere, causing failures of technical devices.

Layers of solar energy reach the Earth at different speeds:

• X-ray radiation in 8 minutes;
• Heavy elements in a few hours;
• Plasma clouds from coronal ejections for 2-3 days.

Geomagnetic fluctuations have a significant impact not only on radio electronics, but also on human health. Failures in the Earth's magnetic field are manifested by unexpected headaches, jumps in blood pressure, exacerbation of chronic ailments. At this time, the number of suicides increases 5 times, strokes and heart attacks increase by 15%.

Fortunately, the human body is characterized not only by hypersensitivity, but also by rapid adaptation to repetitive phenomena. Solar flares occur with a certain frequency, but we feel only the strongest ones.

Video

The magnetic storm that raged on Earth on Saturday and was caused by an extreme solar flare is subsiding. It reached a record strength of 7-8 points, a more powerful storm was observed only on October 29, 2003. This was announced by the head of the Space Weather Center of the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation named after N.V. Pushkov Sergey Gaidash.

"An extreme flare on the Sun X9.3, which occurred on the evening of September 6, caused the ejection of solar matter. Dispersed solar plasma reached the Earth, flattened the earth's magnetosphere, and caused a very large magnetic storm," the agency's source said. According to him, the maximum of the magnetic storm occurred at 3:00 Moscow time on September 9, after which it began to gradually subside, as a group of sunspots approached the edge of the Sun's disk and would soon leave the line of sight from the Earth.

"The magnetic storm in Russia reached 7 points, in the United States - it was one point more powerful, 8 points. The storm was very large, but not extreme," the expert said.

Magnetic storms began on Earth on September 6, when the first solar plasma ejections reached the Earth, following a series of solar flares. A series of solar flares began on September 4th.

First there were five small "M" class flares with a magnitude of 4-5, followed by an "X" class flare with a magnitude of 2.2 on September 6, and an extremely strong X9.3 flare on the same day. During the night and day on September 7, four flashes of class "M" with a power of 2.5, 1, 2.2 and 7.4 points were recorded, and on September 8 a flash with a power of M8.1 was registered, and an outbreak of X1.3.

The storms followed the flashes, repeating their force. "Our forecast of the start of a large storm caused by the X9.3 extreme flare was justified both in terms of time and strength," Sergei Gaidash said. The next act of the cosmic "play" was the auroras caused by magnetic storms. They were observed by residents of Pechora and Ukhta in Russia, who posted images in social networks in the form of a crown, as well as residents of the states of Ohio and Indiana (USA).

Consequences of outbreaks and storms

An extremely powerful flash - X9.3, caused a short-term deterioration in radio communications in Europe and America. The magnetic storm generated by it did not lead to any serious anomalies. According to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for St. Petersburg and the press service of the city ambulance, no bursts of accidents or morbidity during solar flares and magnetic storms have been recorded.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense reported that an extreme solar flare did not affect the Russian orbital grouping and ground control systems for spacecraft of the Russian Space Forces. The department added that the duty forces of the ground-based automated control complex are performing communication sessions and controlling the spacecraft of the Russian orbital group in the normal mode.

Sergei Gaidash considers it a fortunate coincidence that the long series of flares began with flares of moderate intensity.

"We managed to warn all the services responsible for the safety of space technology and other complex equipment. By the time of the extreme outbreak, all the necessary precautions had already been taken," he said. Sergei Gaidash noted that forecasts of solar flares are very difficult from a scientific point of view, as there are unexpected combinations of factors, and also because these phenomena are not yet sufficiently studied.

Consequences for living organisms

During a series of outbreaks, St. Petersburg hirudotherapists (treatment with leeches) noticed a special behavior of leeches. "Leechs are excellent live barometers. They react to pressure drops, to geomagnetic disturbances. They rebel, act up, do not want to stick to the human body," the agency's interlocutor noted.

Scientists have already proven the influence of solar activity on the navigational abilities of birds and bees. A group of German scientists put forward a hypothesis about the impact of solar flares on the behavior of whales. Researchers from the universities of Kiel and Cologne, who studied the death of nearly three dozen sperm whales that washed up on the coast of the North Sea in early 2016, suggested that it was solar flares that could be the reason that the whales washed ashore and died.

During solar flares, the Earth's magnetic field is severely distorted, causing whales to swim in the wrong direction and end up in shallow water or beach, the researchers say, aware of the difficulty of gathering evidence for this theory.

auroras

The most beautiful sign of solar flares and magnetic storms are auroras in high, and sometimes, during strong storms, in middle latitudes. During flares on October 29, 2003, the aurora was observed at the latitude of Moscow. The current series, according to preliminary data, did not lead to the widespread observation of the aurora in average orphans.

History knows only one case when the aurora was observed in the tropics.

"He was seen by the English navigator James Cook while crossing the tropic," Sergei Gaidash said.

Sun Service

According to Yuri Nagovitsyn, head of the Solar Physics Department at the Main Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory, the Soviet Union had the best solar service in the world, including 20 ground tracking stations. Now the main flow of information about the state of our star comes from space stations, mostly American.

Therefore, the Pulkovo Observatory, back in 2014, undertook to revive the service of the Sun, including eight identical telescopes arranged along the meridians so that the Sun was in the field of view of scientists around the clock. This will make it possible to predict solar flares that can affect the operation of power systems, pipelines, computer and aviation equipment, and human health.

However, the project has not yet received budget funding, and the observatory has relied on extra-budgetary sources and the use of different-sized telescopes already in operation. According to Yuri Nagovitsyn, the first algorithms have already been written that are aimed at predicting space weather.

They want to place the data collection center of the solar service at the Pulkovo Observatory. The service of the Sun, according to Yuri Nagovitsyn, will make it possible to provide a round-the-clock solar patrol, and it requires much less, an order of magnitude lower, financial costs than when creating orbital telescopes.

Mechanism of solar flares

Even Aristotle observed solar flares through smoky glass. A powerful flash entered the history of astronomy on September 1, 1859, when two English astronomers - Carrington and Hodgson - independently observing the Sun in white light, saw something like lightning flash suddenly among a group of sunspots. This outbreak was followed by a geomagnetic storm that led to the failure of telegraph systems in Europe and the United States.

Currently, flares are classified into several types, depending on the intensity of the X-ray emission at the peak: the most powerful are classified as class X, the less powerful are denoted by the letter indices M, C, B or A, in descending order.

A series of flares in September 2017 began when a large group of sunspots appeared directly opposite the Earth.