Why News Of A Massive Sunspot Aiming At Earth Doesn't Worry Me

Space scientists are reporting that one of the most populated sunspot regions in more than a decade is about to aim at Earth. A 200,000-kilometer-long area of the sun, Archipelago, has started unleashing a barrage of solar storms that could head our way in the coming days. As the Archipelago aims at Earth, Earth could see many M-Class flares hitting the planet.

Scientists with Spaceweather.com knew the sunspot groups were on the way. They were tracking tremors or ripples on our star’s surface. The region has grown in size so much that it’s affected the way the sun vibrates.

M-Class Flares

The energy of an M-Class flare, or any solar flare, can be felt by how it disrupts life on Earth.

When measuring the energy released by a solar flare, it’s typically 10²⁸ to 10²⁹ ergs. In terms of joules, this is approximately 10²¹ to 10²² joules.

Joules are a measurement from the SI, measuring energy, and one joule is equal to the work done by a force of one Newton when its point of application moves one meter in the direction of action of the force, equivalent to 3600th of a wat-hour.

— Webster’s Dictionary

To put that into an easily understood context, a small nuclear device like the Hiroshima bomb, is equivalent to 10¹³ joules.

Thus, the energy in an M-class solar flare is several levels greater than that of a nuclear bomb. Solar flares are massive events on the sun, and involve the expulsion of magnetic energy, compared to the fission and fusion reactions of nuclear weapons.

The sun is an incredibly powerful, massive celestial body that is capable of releasing massive amounts of energy far greater than anything we can adequately appreciate on Earth.

Why Worry About Sun Spots, Solar Flares, And Solar Storms

Experts have their beliefs in what would happen in the current era if another Carrington-level CME were to hit Earth.

Threats of extreme solar storms exist and threaten all the forms of higher technology. X-rays and extreme UV radiation can reach Earth at light speed and ionize the upper layers of the atmosphere. The result is a “Solar EMP” that causes radio blackouts, GPS failures, satellite system failures, and more. Minutes later to hours later, energized particles arrive. The effects on dilapidated electrical grids and communication lines will be catastrophic.

The subsequent, widespread power blackouts, would take weeks to months to repair and that may not be the end of the problem. With everything that we depend on as a race of people, many wouldn’t be able to flush their toilets as most urban water supplies rely largely on electric pumps and powered water treatment stations.

In February of 2014, physicist Pete Riley published a paper in Spaceweather. In it, he studied solar storms going back over 50 years and calculated the chance of a solar storm at the level of the 1859 Carrington Event happening again was as high as 12% before 2025.

If It Happened Today:

Gridlock — Gridlock would be out of control as the digital and electronic controls in most gas pumps around the country and throughout the world go down, leaving people stranded without gas.

Cell phone service — Cell phones would be down indefinitely. Things higher up are going to be fried the worst, and cell towers are going to be hit hard during a massive solar event. Radio blackouts are extremely likely during these events, and there’s better than a 55% chance of them in the next three days.

Computer systems — Computer systems going down will start with internet disruptions, the electrical systems being fried, and all those lovely porn sites that get millions of visitors a day disappearing. Bye-bye, Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and certainly Pornhub.

Manufacturing — Manufacturing comes to a screeching halt.

Medical Care — When power grids go down and fuel supplies are depleted, life support systems go down.

Airflight — In worst-case scenarios, air flights would come down and air travel would be halted.

Those are but a few of the interruptions that people, humanity, would suffer in the case of worst-case solar weather striking Earth.

Takeaways

It should be of comfort to those of us in the private sector, civilians, that NASA and the scientists of the world are watching and studying our neighboring star, particularly as we approach the solar maximum of solar cycle 25.

While there is no immediate threat or warning of an X-Class solar storm, or solar weather, they do pose a threat that is worth knowing about. We can’t live our lives in fear of such things despite the mainstream media’s attempts to keep us on edge. However, we can be prepared.

Stock up on your favorite authors, have an ample supply of drinking water, and be prepared to go a little bit old-school with life. Humanity, and life on Earth, have been through worse and will go through it again.