Satellites are finding more power than ever imagined in the near Earth space. The video below is an explanation of a series of solar storms that lasted from March 8 to March 10, 2012. This series of solar storms flooded the upper atmosphere of the Earth with enough energy to power every residence in New York City, for two years.
But the real bulk of that energy was deflected back into outer space by the Earth’s magnetosphere and absorbed by the Van Allen Radiation Belts, before the remaining radiation even reached our upper atmosphere of the Earth.
Keeping this in mind, you can imagine the magnitude of this solar storm. It was initiated by a series of X-class solar flares eruptions on the sun’s photosphere, which generated monstrous CME that flowed towards Earth via the solar wind.
The narrator speaks about the Thermosphere puffing up from heat caused by energy of these flares. The heat she is speaking of is not the heat from the flares eruptions, but heat generated by the friction of energetic particles from the CMEs that bypassed the geomagnetosphere and impacted with the upper atmosphere of the Earth.
The high speed motion of excited, energized electrons, protons, and ions colliding with the oxygen atoms and other molecules at the Thermosphere spiting those molecules and atoms. This occurrence causes those subatomic particles to become excited, or to oscillate at higher speed, creating kinetic energy. (Kinetic energy is energy generated by high speed motion)
Therefore, the heat in the Thermosphere, spoken of by the narrator, did not come from the kinetic heat of the flares that occurred 93 million miles away. It was generated at the Thermosphere itself, by the friction of an overabundance of energized subatomic particles colliding with atoms and molecules in that region.
In reality, by the time a CME reaches Venus, its electric magnetic light, or the solar rays in it, are fainter than the light of a full moon. That means that its intensity and density have already dissipated considerably. Of itself, neither a solar flare nor a CME can ever burn the Earth, because of the protection of the magnetosphere. It is what happens as a result of their impact with the magnetosphere that presents the danger.
If the Earth were ever to be burned by a solar flare or a CME, they would have to be millions of times stronger than the strongest solar flare and CME we have ever experienced in the past.
In which case, not the flare, but the impact of the CME against the geomagnetosphere would either destroy the magnetosphere or knock it, along with the Earth, off orbit. If that were to ever happen, we wouldn’t be here to tell the tale, and neither would anything else in the solar system.
But, what we know for certain is that the effect of the friction of solar particles at impacting with the many layers of the geomagnetosphere, and their impact with the layers of the atmosphere of the Earth split the existing atoms in those regions, even creating more subatomic particles and plasma, and obviously also heat. And when that activity also happens at the Ionosphere the light resulting from these glowing subatomic activity is seeing on the surface of the Earth as aurorae.
If you are still in doubt about and still think that the Earth will be fried by solar flares, take a moment to think about our space crafts, and myriads of satellites in orbit. Have any of them ever been pulverized, unless when they drop off orbit? No!
Now, think of the space station and all our spacecrafts traveling to other planets. Also think of the Moon and all comets, free asteroids, and the asteroid belt, and meteors in the interplanetary medium. Is everything still there, in spite of all the mega solar flares we’ve had lately and in the past, including the super solar storm of 1859? Yes! They are all there.
All of that was mentioned in the previous paragraph are in the path where solar winds and CMEs travel. If solar flares or CMEs, burned anything; then, everything, including the Earth, existing in interplanetary medium, would have been pulverized and returned to basic elements long ago.
So, fear not. As far we know, nothing is going to the Earth, and no solar flare will ever “fry you on your seats”.
“Live long and prosper.” And enjoy the video.
See the amazing the power of the sun
CREDIT: NASA Science
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