1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey, Brainstuff florin 2 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: vogelbamb here. The Sun makes almost all life as we 3 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: know it on Earth possible, but there's still a lot 4 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: we don't understand about this miasma of incandescent plasma. As 5 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: the band they might be giants have put it, for example, 6 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: exactly how powerful are its magnetic storms. Could a solar 7 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: flare or other event on the surface of the Sun 8 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: affect us here on Earth. Here's what we do know. 9 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: The Sun is a massive object comprised of intensely hot 10 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: ionized gases. We call this kind of gas plasma, and 11 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:46,639 Speaker 1: it's the most common state of matter in the universe. 12 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 1: The atoms that make up the gases in the Sun 13 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: are so hot that they can't hold on to their electrons. 14 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: The gases flowing currents through the Sun, carrying electrons with them. 15 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: If you're at all familiar with electromagnets, you know that 16 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:06,400 Speaker 1: an electrical current can create a magnetic field. That's the 17 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: case with the Sun. The Sun has an enormous magnetic 18 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: field around it. The rotation of the Sun perpetuates this 19 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:18,759 Speaker 1: magnetic field. To make matters more complicated, Hot objects tend 20 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: to expand, and the Sun is an extremely hot object. 21 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: But the Sun is also large and dense, which means 22 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 1: it has a strong gravitational pull. The Sun's gravity balances 23 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: out its tendency to expand the combination of these forces 24 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: can cause the Sun's surface to change in dramatic and 25 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: sometimes violent ways. The currents of gas can cause magnetic 26 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: field lines to twist that can prevent hotter gases from 27 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: the Sun's core from rising to the surface, creating sun spots. 28 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: The sunspots are cooler and darker than the areas that 29 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: surround them. The hot gas trapped beneath sunspots exerts pressure 30 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: on the magnetic field lines, which can wind them into 31 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: even tighter coils. Sometimes more field lines become entangled. Once 32 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,080 Speaker 1: in a while, the magnetic field lines will uncoil without 33 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: much incident, and the sunspot will fade as the hot 34 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 1: gases rise again to the surface. But sometimes the pressure 35 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: continues to build until the magnetic field lines snap out suddenly, 36 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:29,799 Speaker 1: causing a solar flare. A solar flare isn't just an 37 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: explosion of hot gases. It pushes out waves all across 38 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 1: the electromagnetic spectrum that includes visible light that we can 39 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: see and types of waves that we can't, including X 40 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: rays and gamma rays. These can be dangerous to humans. Fortunately, 41 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: our atmosphere absorbs most high energy rays like this, but 42 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: that's not to say everyone is in the clear after 43 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: a solar flare. Humans in space or at high altitudes 44 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: on an airplane, for example, could risk exposure to intense radiation. 45 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: Short term damage could include skin irritation. Long term consequences 46 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: might include an increased risk of developing skin cancer, but 47 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,799 Speaker 1: it's likely that any affected human would eventually recover from 48 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 1: the exposure. Electronics are also vulnerable to these rays. If 49 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:25,919 Speaker 1: high energy rays were to hit a satellite, they could 50 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: strip electrons from the metal components, ionizing them. As electrons 51 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: break free, they could short out the electronics within the satellite. 52 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: They could also create a magnetic field that would damage 53 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: the satellite systems. Some satellites do have shielding to protect 54 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:46,640 Speaker 1: them from these rays, but many are vulnerable because Earth's 55 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: atmosphere absorbs most of these dangerous rays. Terrestrial electronics are 56 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 1: fairly safe from solar flares, but another type of solar event, 57 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: called a coronal mass ejection or CME, cause serious problems. 58 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: For electrical systems here on Earth. During a CME, the 59 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: fluctuations of the Sun's magnetic fields cause a large portion 60 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: of the surface of the Sun to expand rapidly, ejecting 61 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:17,719 Speaker 1: billions of tons of particles out into space. Sometimes CMEs 62 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:22,039 Speaker 1: accompany solar flares, but not all solar flares produce CMEs, 63 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: and not all CMEs happen in the company of solar flares. 64 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 1: Unlike a solar flare, a coronal mass ejection doesn't produce 65 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: intense light, but it does produce a magnetic shockwave that 66 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:39,720 Speaker 1: extends billions of miles out into space. If Earth is 67 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:43,240 Speaker 1: in the path of that shockwave, our planet's magnetic field 68 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,240 Speaker 1: will react to the event. It's similar to what happens 69 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: if you put a weak magnet next to a strong one. 70 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: The weak magnets field will align itself to these strong 71 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 1: magnets field. A magnetic shockwave from the Sun could cause 72 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 1: the alignment of Earth's magnetic field to shift unpredictably. The 73 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: Northern and Southern lights are observable examples of how a 74 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: CME can affect the Earth. These colorful lights result from 75 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: subatomic particles moving at incredible speed, which causes gases like 76 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: oxygen and nitrogen to ionize in our atmosphere. As the 77 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 1: atoms in the gases recombine with electrons, they emit light. 78 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,840 Speaker 1: This mainly happens where Earth's magnetic field lines converge at 79 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:33,480 Speaker 1: the planet's magnetic poles. Pretty lights aren't the only consequence 80 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:37,279 Speaker 1: from a CME, but exactly how badly off could we 81 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: be after such an event. Coronal mass ejections have affected 82 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: the Earth in the past. In eighteen fifty nine, a 83 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:50,279 Speaker 1: CME caused enormous fluctuations in the Earth's magnetosphere the magnetic 84 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: fields surrounding the planet. People living as far south as 85 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: Cuba witnessed the Northern lights phenomenon. The magnetic fluctuations caused 86 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:04,040 Speaker 1: compasses and telegraph systems to fail. At the time, scientists 87 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,039 Speaker 1: and academics debated the cause of all the commotion, though 88 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: we now recognize it as a CME so massive that 89 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: it caused what we call a solar superstorm. Today, we 90 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: depend much more heavily upon electronics and electricity in general 91 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 1: than we did in eighteen fifty nine. If a similar 92 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 1: solar superstorm were to hit us now, we'd be in 93 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 1: trouble because magnetic fields can induce electricity. Any conductor could 94 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:36,040 Speaker 1: become an inductor, a meaning a powerful CME could induce 95 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: electricity in any large powerful conductor of electricity like power 96 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: transformers and the power grid itself, that could overload electrical 97 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 1: systems and cause massive damage. The power grid in North 98 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: America operates at near capacity. It wouldn't be able to 99 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: handle the increased electrical load from a solar superstorm. A 100 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: power could sag and even snap. As a result, massive 101 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 1: power outages could affect much of the continent. The magnetic 102 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: fluctuations would interfere with radio signals and communication and satellite 103 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: systems could go offline. It could take weeks or months 104 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: to repair the damage. During that time, people would have 105 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: no way to find out what was going on other 106 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 1: than sheer word of mouth. Emergency services would face serious challenges. 107 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:31,640 Speaker 1: While the magnetic fields would probably not short out individual 108 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: electronic devices like cell phones or computers, communications systems could 109 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: fail regionally. In other words, small devices would still work, 110 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,240 Speaker 1: but would lack the services they require to be useful. 111 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: It is possible that a coronal mass ejection could affect 112 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 1: your computer and cause glitches. In most cases, a simple 113 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: reboot would solve the problem, but with the loss of 114 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: the power grid, you'd be limited by your batteries charge, 115 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:02,680 Speaker 1: and once that ran out, you'd be stuck. There's no 116 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: way to prevent a solar superstorm, but there are steps 117 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: we can take to limit the impact of a CME. A. 118 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: One is to overhaul the power grid system. We need 119 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 1: a smart grid that isn't operating so close to capacity 120 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: as our current grid is. We also need to develop 121 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 1: shielding to protect our electrical infrastructure from magnetic fluctuations as 122 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: much as possible. However, even in the worst case scenarios, 123 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 1: superstorms wouldn't wipe out all electrical systems across the planet. 124 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: Some regions would remain relatively unaffected. It would require a 125 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: solar event of unprecedented magnitude to wipe out all the 126 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: electronics on Earth, but even a modest coronal mass ejection 127 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 1: could demonstrate just how vulnerable we are to the Sun's 128 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:58,440 Speaker 1: magnetic temper tantrums. Today's episode is based on the article 129 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: could an extremely powerful soul flair destroy all the electronics 130 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: on Earth? On HowStuffWorks dot com, written by Jonathan Strickland. 131 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: To hear more from Jonathan, check out his podcast Large 132 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: nerdron Collider. Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership 133 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:15,559 Speaker 1: with HowStuffWorks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. 134 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 135 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.