A solar flare could have triggered World War III

Solar flares pose an astonishing danger to life on Earth — and many questions about them still remain unanswered.

In recent years, there has been growing concern about the threats posed by solar activity. Although such events are completely natural in the life of a star, a particularly intense solar flare could carry risks that might seriously impact the functioning of our society.

Yet, it wouldn’t be the first time that a major solar eruption has disrupted people’s everyday lives. Dagomar Degroot, a historian at Georgetown University, explains in his article for The Conversation that by examining past events, we can gain a clearer picture of how catastrophic the effects of a future solar flare might be.

Why are solar flares dangerous?

The plasma that makes up the Sun is in constant motion, and since it conducts electricity, internal tension sometimes causes it to be ejected from the surface. The danger is illustrated by the fact that a single major eruption can release energy equivalent to millions of hydrogen bombs.

If Earth happens to be in the path of the ejected material, our planet’s magnetic field usually deflects it, preventing destructive geomagnetic storms. Near the North and South Poles, however, some of these charged particles can penetrate the upper atmosphere, producing the spectacular phenomenon known as the aurora.

A more intense solar storm, though, can cause severe disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field. The accompanying radio bursts and the influx of high-energy protons into our atmosphere could disable radio and satellite communication, disrupt digital systems, and damage the ozone layer to the point that dangerous levels of radiation would reach the surface.

The Carrington Event remains a milestone

Humanity hasn’t always been so lucky when it comes to avoiding the consequences of solar storms. The Carrington Event of 1859 is widely known as the first time a solar flare had a measurable impact on technological systems.

Two young astronomers, Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson, were the first people to observe a solar flare. Eighteen hours later, red lights appeared in the sky as far south as the equator, while telegraph lines across Europe and America malfunctioned.

This event sparked scientists’ interest in the Sun’s life cycle — and gradually intensified fears of solar storms.

A solar storm could have caused a world war

During the Cold War, monitoring solar storms became more crucial than ever, as in the age of nuclear weapons, a single wrong move could have triggered the apocalypse.

In May 1967, a massive solar storm completely disabled numerous American radio stations. Although scientists had warned U.S. officials about a possible solar flare, the sudden failure of radar and communication systems led them to believe that the Soviets had launched an attack.

At the very last moment, researchers managed to convince military leaders that the disruption was solar in origin — thus averting a potential nuclear catastrophe. The incident brought even greater attention to the importance of studying the Sun’s behavior.

Even more devastating eruptions could occur

In 2012, a Japanese research team examining tree rings from the 8th century found evidence that solar storms far more destructive than the Carrington Event had occurred in the past. They also discovered that stars similar to our Sun can produce flares up to ten thousand times stronger than any observed so far — roughly once every hundred years. Fortunately, because of the Sun’s relatively slow rotation, such extreme events are less likely to happen here.

Too many unanswered questions

Given how inseparable our modern lives are from technology, there are still countless uncertainties. We don’t know exactly how much damage a powerful solar flare would inflict on electrical grids, how quickly repairs could be made, or whether humanity could adapt to such a situation.

While it’s possible that with proper preparation, the catastrophic consequences could be avoided, continuous monitoring of solar phenomena is essential to ensure that we’re ready for whatever our star might send our way.

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