The Sun
is releasing massive spurts of energy
that are headed directly toward Earth.
And if they hit us, it could change everything.
Power grids could be wiped out.
Our communications could cease to exist.
Humanity might be put back into the stone Age,
all because of a solar storm.
But what makes them so powerful?
How is it possible
for something like this to happen in 2024?
And why are they so dangerous?
This is what is.
And here's what would happen
if a solar storm hit Earth in 2024.
So how could something like this happen anyway?
Well, it all starts with the cycle of our sun
known as the solar cycle.
This is an 11 year stretch in which the sun's solar
activity increases and decreases.
The cycle starts
with just a few sunspots raging about and creating mass
amounts of energy.
And then five or six years later, it reaches its peak
with anywhere from 100 to 200 sunspots.
Then it ramps back down for the last five years and
we start another solar cycle.
Currently, we're in our 25th
cycle since we began tracking the sun in 1755.
And unfortunately for us, scientists
predict that the sunspots will peak in 2024.
This means there's
a higher chance that a solar storm will occur.
Now before we get to our solar storm.
What are sunspots, anyway?
Well, they're cooler and darker
areas of the sun that are created
by a strong magnetic field.
They're not
directly responsible for creating solar flares,
but it just so happens that flares are most common
in these sunspots due to their high magnetic activity.
The magnetic field lines can become twisted and tangled
near certain parts of the sun, and they can suddenly snap
and realign, which creates a massive burst of energy.
This can result in a solar storm.
So now that the sun
has released this massive amount of energy,
what will happen to you on Earth?
Well, when the solar storm occurs,
you won't notice it right away.
That's because it takes a few minutes
before it reaches Earth.
Hurry up and get in your last couple of YouTube videos
because once the storm hits, everything changes.
Now, the first thing you might notice
is that more and more auroras
will start popping up worldwide.
This typically happens
when charged particles from the solar storm
interact with the Earth's atmosphere.
Although these sites in the sky look beautiful.
The good parts about a solar flare.
And they're due to the effect on our geomagnetic field.
Most of our technology would stop working
things like satellite GPS and radio transmissions
would become incredibly spotty.
Your cell phone
likely wouldn't be able to pick up any signal
in the communications worldwide
would start to fade out or become less reliable.
But that would only be
if we were affected by a few solar flares.
This is an entire solar storm we're talking about here.
These are comprised
of multiple attacks by the sun on the earth.
But before we get to that, people on Earth
aren't the only ones affected by this.
Astronauts up in space would also suffer the consequences.
Their situation could be a lot worse.
The sun would be blasting them
with intense solar radiation.
And if they're not in
a specially shielded area of the spaceship,
a solar storm could be deadly.
They could get radiation
sickness as well as develop cancer later on.
The solar storm
could also destroy their ability
to communicate with their mission control and vice versa.
This is just what would happen
on the first day of the solar storm.
But several days later,
as you're still having trouble getting cell reception,
another massive attack would come from the sun,
a phenomenon known
as a coronal mass ejection or CME for short,
would be coming right for Earth.
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A CME is a massive explosion of plasma and
electromagnetic radiation from the sun.
This mass ejection can cause violent geomagnetic storms
that interfere with Earth's magnetic field.
If this were to happen,
Earth as we know it could change for good.
Just look at what happened in 1859.
A solar storm known as the Carrington event occurred.
It disrupted and flat out
destroyed telegraph communications.
Luckily, in this case, Earth was able to recover relatively
quickly from what today would be a cataclysmic event.
Telegraph Communications were a simple technology.
Telegraph lines could be repaired quickly and
things went back to normal.
But what would happen today?
Our lives are so much
more reliant on technology and we have so much more of it.
This time, the tech interruptions
wouldn't just stop with the odd glitch or spotty signal.
Instead, solar storm could be so bad that
it would make all technology stop working.
Yeah, the intense levels of electromagnetic radiation
could wipe out
entire power grids and communication systems.
Even something as simple as buying groceries
with your credit card would be impossible.
We're talking about a full on global blackout.
If you were in an airplane,
the cockpit could lose communication
with air traffic control and not know where to go
or with the intense radiation levels hitting Earth,
the plane could fall entirely.
The same goes for subways and trains.
They could come to a complete stop in their tracks.
This would cause catastrophes all around the world.
Planes falling from the sky.
Trains crashing now.
Not having power at your house
would be the least of the world's worries
because entire cities, including all hospitals,
would be without power.
No power means it's harder or impossible to treat certain
patients.
The lack of power and technology
malfunctions could cause millions of people to die.
The solar flares and CMEs might last anywhere
from a couple of hours to a few days, but
that doesn't mean this event would be over just yet.
Because of all the damage to our power grids,
communications, technology,
Earth would take some time to recover.
It might be weeks or months before we get back to normal.
We'd have to rebuild parts of our power
grids and communication systems,
depending on the parts needed.
Well, this might take another several weeks
and take into account the lack of communication
that the world would suffer.
We talking to your neighbors is one thing, but
how would you communicate with another city or country?
Global supply chains would collapse.
This would delay things even further.
But once humanity got all of these things sorted,
we would rebuild
what once felt like the end of humanity might
turn into a simple footnote in Earth's history.
The result of a solar storm could be dramatic and life
changing, but humans would live to see another day.
So how likely is something like this?
Well, it's tough to predict.
We can look at the solar cycles
and see how many solar flares occur,
but there's no telling if they'll hit Earth or not.
And although a solar storm
could happen,
we'll keep in mind that even though we're more
reliant on technology than ever before,
our technology is also more resistant.
Communication technology and power grids are built
to withstand various types of interference.
Nossa is also working on technology to help predict
and warned us about solar flares.
If one is headed our way, well,
here's what you can do to prepare.
Keep a well-stocked emergency key and first aid kit nearby.
Like with any natural disaster.
It's important to be equipped with first aid equipment,
nonperishable food and water.
You might want to invest in surge protectors and remember
to unplug any electronics if a solar storm occurs.
Lastly, look into off grid power supplies.
Backup energy sources like generators or solar panels.
Then just wait it out.
The world should return to normal.
But what if it never did?
What if Earth experienced
some of the craziest world endings scenarios ever?
Well, that sounds like a story
for another. What if.