KICKS IN SERIES. geysers huge plasma heated to tens of millions of degrees from the Sun to gush hundreds of thousands of kilometers high and bewildering speed 1500 km per second. Storms protons and electrons in highly charged energy, lashing violently obstacles in their way …
surface of our sun looks more than ever like a raging ocean of gas. While solar flares are common on the surface of our planet. But their number increases and decreases regularly in a cycle of ten years. And 2013 corresponds to a peak of this activity.
evidence since May 13, our star has issued one after four colossal eruptions immortalized in this beautiful video prepared by the Observatoire de Paris.
The eruptions observed in EUV by the SDO / AIA NASA satellite.
SCALE. Solar flares are classified according to the intensity of the ejection flow observed in the X-ray band, measured in watts per square meter (W/m2). This classification system has five categories: A, B, C, M, and the most powerful known X. In this scoring system, a rash of class X is 10 times more powerful an eruption of category M, itself 10 times stronger than a rash of class C, and so on. Within each category, the eruptions are ranked on a scale of 1 to 10.
These early this week were respectively classified X1, 7, X2, 8, X3, X1 and 2, 2. “ It is very far from the record of 4 November 2003, when a rash was so powerful that it had saturated all the X-ray detectors, says Guillaume Aulanier, astrophysicist at the Paris Observatory. is estimated to have been about classified X40 ‘he figure.
Like pimples on the Sun
“ However, it was long since they had not witnessed such a series of eruptions within a short time, says astrophysicist . Fortunately, none of them was headed toward Earth, but new aftershocks could be if they occur in the coming days , “warns the researcher.
Indeed, these geysers solar matter arise in darker surface areas of our planet: the sunspots. “ Are like acne pimples that provide all the energy that is released during the eruption ,” says Guillaume Aulanier. But these spots, which until now were not directed towards our planet, are trying to move us as and when the sun’s rotation on itself.
IN THE LINE OF FIRE. What would happen if the solar corona above one of these solar “acne pimples” came to burst towards our planet? Most particles would happily deflected by the magnetic field of the earth. Nevertheless, the meeting of these electrically charged or magnetized particles could cause serious disturbances, particularly in terms of telecommunications.
In the worst case, a satellite could be turned off
“ At satellites could observe arcing can damage the solar panels lists William Aulanier . The satellite could interpret electrical messages as false orders. And in the worst case, one can imagine a high-energy proton impinges on a microwelding an electrical component, and the abyss, putting the satellite out of service. “
EXPLORATION. class=”c15″> “L eject magnetized gas coming towards the Earth could lead to the development of common ground level, resulting in saturation of transformers “ says the researcher. In March 1989, in Quebec as a “magnetic storm” provoked a massive power outage for nine hours ! “
How long will it peak solar activity? It’s hard to say. If solar cycles last on average a little over 11 years, it is not uncommon to see variations from 9 to 14 years. Solar Orbiter mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), which aims to put an observation satellite in orbit around the sun by 4 or 5 years, maybe allow a better understanding of these mechanisms may.
Erwan Lecomte, Sciences et Avenir, 15/05/13
ALSO READ: VIDEO. Fascinating images of a solar flare
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