The largest flare in the last 12 years occurred on the Sun, the Laboratory of X-ray Solar Astronomy of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported.

Scientists noted that the outbreak is a natural result of changes in the solar corona over the past three days. During this period, as a result of the interaction of two large groups of sunspots, energy was accumulated, which was released in a large flare. At present, the consequences of this natural phenomenon are difficult to predict with sufficient accuracy.

"The observed explosion occurred in a geoeffective region near the Sun-Earth line, from where the impact of the Sun on our planet is maximum," the laboratory's website said in a statement.

Solar flares are divided into five classes depending on the X-ray power: A, B, C, M and X. The minimum class A0.0 corresponds to a radiation power in the Earth's orbit of 10 nanowatts per square meter. When moving to the next letter, the power increases 10 times.

The current flare belongs to the latter class and has been assigned a score of X9.3, making it one of the five most powerful explosions on the surface of the Sun on record.

Images of the flare were taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Vladimir Surdin, a senior researcher at the P.K.

"The Sun is a quiet star, but with a frequency of 11 years, its activity increases. During a period of high solar flare activity, this is not such a rarity. But just this year - a period of low solar activity. And, frankly, no one expected that there will be such an event. Yesterday afternoon there were two class X flares on the Sun. One of medium power and the other of extremely high power. Unfortunately, both flares were quite accurately directed towards the Earth. The equipment of the satellites that "saw" this almost burned out, it went off scale - so powerful was the flow of X-ray and ultraviolet rays," said Vladimir Surdin.

According to him, the atmosphere protects people from powerful solar radiation on Earth.

“A flare is a powerful explosion on the surface of the Sun. It is incomparable to anything we are used to on Earth - no hydrogen bombs can match it. But the Sun is still far from us, and this cannot greatly damage the Earth. For Earth's atmosphere, all this is not very scary - the air covers us well. But for those who fly above the atmosphere - satellites, people - this is not a very pleasant event, "said Vladimir Surdin.

According to the scientist's forecasts, the consequences of a solar flare will manifest themselves for several more days.

"In the coming days, particles of cosmic rays ejected from the Sun will still fly up - fast protons, electrons - so the events associated with this flare will continue. There will be beautiful events, such as a very powerful aurora. But there will also be unpleasant events - interruption of radio communications and, possibly , burnout of transformers in the power supply networks of cities," said Vladimir Surdin.

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A bright flash, which was recorded on September 6, 2017 on the nearest line from the Earth, will most strongly affect life on our planet for at least another five days. The fact that The most powerful explosion on the Sun in 12 years, will be a real test of strength for all people.

Powerful explosion on the Sun 2017

An unusual natural phenomenon on the day Star has already caused an increase in the X-ray background over the entire surface of the Earth. In the coming days, people will encounter interference in GPS navigation, radio communications, and will also see a real aurora over the territory of the Moscow region.

The last time an outbreak of such power was recorded in September 2005, it was assigned the highest score of solar activity X9.3. On a color scale, this corresponds to the maximum, black level of solar activity. There is, made by one futurologist

This is provided that usually geomagnetic radiations vary within green, yellow, red and violet colors.

Solar flare consequences

Scientists warn that the highest level of geomagnetic disturbance will affect the operation of the equipment of aircraft and space objects, as well as lead to x-ray exposure of passengers.

After a powerful solar flare has occurred, a real geomagnetic storm awaits the inhabitants of the Earth. A super-powerful flash has made its own adjustments to, so weather-dependent people need to quickly take precautions.

The consequences of explosions on the Sun are fraught with emotional instability, sudden accidents at work, major accidents, as well as deterioration in well-being. In the period from 6 to 15 September, direct sunlight should be avoided on the skin. It is better not to carry out planned operations at this time, and also refuse to go to a beauty salon. Be prepared for the fact that people will react more sharply than usual to your words. Consciously protect yourself from communicating with inadequate personalities and spend more time outdoors.

What's Happening to the Sun in 2017

Astrologers say that such powerful solar flares, as in September 2017, are directly related to the full solar eclipse August 21, 2017.

In the year of the Fire Rooster, the daytime star experiences one magnetic storm after another, which affects the life of the entire Earth.

Such fluctuations in solar activity have already brought the inhabitants of the United States the devastating hurricane Harvey, but in Europe it suddenly snowed in the first days of September. In Russia, solar flares will lead to massive outages in mobile communications, problems with electricity, as well as an increase in the number of heart attacks, strokes and mental disorders in people. Among the positive aspects: a great opportunity to see the aurora in the night sky on September 7-9, not only in regions such as the Irkutsk region, Tyumen, Kirov, but also in the city of Moscow and the Moscow region.

The explosion on the Sun on 09/06/2017 was the strongest in the last 12 years. The Solar X-Ray Astronomy Laboratory of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences told REGNUM that the flare was the result of the coordination of the two largest groups of sunspots. As we have already reported, the energy was released in a unique X9.3 explosion.

The flare occurred against the backdrop of reduced solar activity. Over the 20-year history of observing the Sun, more than powerful explosions only happened 5 times. The anomaly happened near the Sun-Earth line, and therefore the impact of the emergency on our planet will be maximum - today a magnetic storm has begun, and earthlings will feel the impact of the explosion for a week. Weather dependent and people with chronic diseases should pay close attention to their health.

Solar flare on September 6, 2017: consequences

The consequences of the outbreak for the Earth are still difficult to assess. “It affects everything. For health, for the weather. But on the weather, of course, not in the long term, ”Georgy Goncharov, a leading researcher at the Pulkovo Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, shared with REN TV. The expert believes that on Friday evening the number of fatal accidents will increase sharply. It is also necessary to closely monitor the condition of children under 12 years of age.

There have already been reports in the media about a deterioration in the quality of communications both in Europe and in the United States, as well as about the failure of space technology. However, the northern lights can be seen even at the latitude of Moscow. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has published images of the space phenomenon.

On September 6, 2017, the largest solar flare occurred in twelve years. The registered radiation shows that a coronal mass ejection has occurred. Life figured out how this could threaten ordinary people.

Behind the fuss ordinary days and simple momentary problems, we forget how complex and fragile our world is. That the Sun is not just a luminous basketball in the sky, giving light during the day and the opportunity to take beautiful photos in the mornings and evenings, but a huge star, whose mass is 99.87 percent of the mass of the entire solar system. On September 6, another reminder happened - the largest flare in the last twelve years occurred on the Sun.

It's time to figure out what it can threaten us, ordinary earthlings, astronauts at the International space station, which do not have the saving protection of the atmosphere, and even satellites operating in Earth's orbit.

Flash on the right!

Let's deal with the terms. What is a flash, if the Sun is already a huge ball, consisting mainly of hydrogen, inside which thermonuclear reactions, releasing a gigantic amount of energy, light and heat. Yes, this is true, but due to its structure, the Sun "burns" fairly evenly for its size and mass.

However, sometimes there is an explosive release of energy in the Sun's atmosphere, called a flare. This process captures all layers of the solar atmosphere: the photosphere, chromosphere and corona of the Sun. At this moment (and the impulsive phase of solar flares lasts only a few minutes) there is a powerful release of energy - sometimes up to 15 percent of the total energy released by the Sun per second.

Even just converting the flare energy into close and understandable values ​​is very difficult - it is so huge. A powerful flash releases about 160 billion megatons of TNT energy, which, by comparison, is the approximate amount of world electricity consumption over one million years.

Sometimes at the same moment there is also a coronal mass ejection - part of the solar matter is ejected with force outside the atmosphere of the Sun. Scientists have not yet determined whether these phenomena are related or not. Quite often, solar matter is ejected parallel to flares, but sometimes this occurs independently of each other. On September 6, the Sun experienced not only a flare, but also a coronal mass ejection.

The ejection contains a plasma consisting of electrons and protons. The ejection mass can be up to 10 billion tons of matter that flies in space with average speed 400 kilometers per second and reaches the Earth within one - three days. And if the main effect of a solar flare reaches the Earth in eight and a half minutes, then in the case of a coronal mass ejection, the effect turns out to be extended and begins several days after the ejection moment.

It is worth noting that the Sun is a ball, so some of the flares from the Earth are simply not visible. They occur on the opposite side of the Sun and do not affect us in any way. In this case, the Earth was not lucky: the outbreak happened in a geoeffective area near the Sun-Earth line, from where the impact on our planet is maximum.

Scientists began to measure the power of solar flares and record coronal mass ejections relatively recently, since the sixties of the last century. Flash output is indicated by the Latin letters A, B, C, M or X and numerical value for her. The flare that occurred is estimated by scientists as X9.3, while the most powerful flare ever recorded is X28. Strangest of all, the current outbreak occurred exactly twelve years after the last outbreak of such magnitude (September 7, 2005). In addition, now is a period of decline in solar activity. Astronomers did not expect such a phenomenon to occur.

What threatens such an outbreak?

interacting with the Earth's magnetosphere, plasma flows cause disturbances in it - storms that are felt by weather-dependent people.

The thing is that the human body is accustomed to the Earth's magnetic field and uses it in Everyday life, for example, for orientation in space. Disturbances of the magnetic field cause an imbalance in the body systems in some people who are most sensitive to this phenomenon. It is believed that geomagnetic storms cause migraines, insomnia, pressure surges. However, all this is purely individual. It is difficult to say how geomagnetic storms caused by solar flares affect a specific person. Scientists are still studying this issue, there is even a whole section of biophysics that studies the effect of changes in the activity of the Sun on terrestrial organisms - heliobiology.

So the most important thing is not to panic. As a rule, weather-dependent people are well aware that they can get sick from geomagnetic storms. Meteorologically dependent, as well as people with chronic diseases, should monitor the approach of magnetic storms and exclude in advance any events or actions that can lead to stress during this period. It is best at this time to be at rest, relax and reduce any physical and emotional overload.

What's with the connection?

Soyuz", which plays the role of a rescue ship on the ISS. However, the design of all station modules provides normal protection for the crew from bursts of solar activity, during which the radiation background. Cosmonauts daily carry out an individual account of the dose of radiation received on board.

In general, there is no need to be afraid of solar flares. This is a fairly common occurrence, in your life you have experienced many of them without even knowing what happened. Otherwise, you can become like Dunno from the Flower City and make a commotion from scratch.

And Dunno ran at full speed home and let's shout:

Brothers, save yourself! The piece is flying!

- What piece? they ask him.

- Piece, brothers! A piece broke off from the Sun. Soon it will slap - and everyone will be covered. Do you know what the sun is? It is larger than our entire Earth!

- What are you thinking!

- I'm not imagining anything. This is what Steklyashkin said. He saw through his pipe.

Everyone ran out into the yard and began to look at the sun. They watched and watched until tears began to flow from their eyes. Blindly, it began to seem to everyone that the Sun was actually chipped. And Dunno shouted: "Save yourself who can! Trouble!"

Last week, 4 powerful flares occurred on the Sun at once. One of them turned out to be the strongest in the last 12 years and was among the largest explosions on the surface of the star in the entire history of observations. On Earth, these phenomena did not go unnoticed: many people felt unwell, cases of equipment failure were recorded. Astronomer Anatoly Ryabtsev told what flares on the Sun are fraught with, and how one can protect oneself from the consequences of cosmic cataclysms.

Influence of the Sun

Flashes on the Sun are invisible to the human eye, however, according to scientists, on the star itself, this phenomenon looks like a huge nuclear explosion. “Energy accumulates in the solar atmosphere,” the astronomer explains. “And when there is too much of it, an explosion occurs with the release of a plasma cloud that can reach a weight of billions of tons and fly at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per second.”

Most often, such outbreaks last no longer than 10 minutes, and the strongest last several hours. If at the same time the flow is directed towards the Earth, the consequences of the outbreak will be well felt by the population of the planet. When the particles ejected by the Sun reach the Earth at great speed, the flow interacts with its magnetic field and makes its own adjustments not only to the well-being of people, but also to the operation of electronic devices.

Weather sensitive people are at risk

The plasma ejected by the Sun reaches the Earth in the next two to three days after the start of the flare. During all this time, magnetic storms will rage on the planet, the power of which depends on the strength of the explosion on the surface of the Sun. So, after the outbreak on September 8, equipment malfunctions occurred on Earth: many noted that their mobile phones stopped receiving a signal, and some cable television channels stopped broadcasting. “Explosions on the Sun also affect telecommunications equipment,” says Ryabtsev. - Powerful flashes can disable not only phones, but also entire communication satellites and even spacecraft: so strong is the blast wave.

Scientists have proven that during solar activity on Earth most often occur natural disasters- hurricanes, earthquakes. Solar flares also have a great impact on the population of the Earth. First of all, the danger to people is associated with an increase in the level of radiation.

When an explosion occurs on the surface of the star, powerful streams of protons are formed, which increase the radiation around. “So far, radiation from the Sun has not reached the Earth,” says the astronomer. “But astronauts may be at risk.”

For the common population, explosions on the Sun are fraught with a deterioration in well-being, especially such outbreaks will affect the health of weather-sensitive people. Usually, in the first hours after the explosion, people experience a general malaise, which can later turn into severe headache and joint pain, nervous breakdown, increased blood pressure and weakened concentration. “During the days of solar activity, various accidents are most likely due to the human factor,” Ryabtsev notes.

How to escape from a magnetic storm?

People with chronic diseases, weakened immune systems and sleep disorders suffer the most from solar flares. To cope with the effects of magnetic storms, experts advise limiting yourself from bad habits- smoking and alcohol. In addition, it is better to exclude heavy and fatty foods from the diet - fried meat, fast food. “I would recommend not driving during the period of solar activity,” emphasizes Ryabtsev. - On such days, a person's brain activity is somewhat slowed down, and he cannot make quick decisions on the road. It’s better to play it safe and use public transport or walk.”

To make the magnetic storm feel less acute, you need to drink more water and eat berries, fruits and vegetables. “Walk more outside, but avoid direct sunlight,” the astronomer advises. - Tea with herbs helps a lot. If you follow these simple rules, solar flares will pass unnoticed by you!