Abstract
Solar flares are the biggest explosions in the solar system. This tremendous energy release of a single solar flare represents a significant threat to current terrestrial- and space-based systems. This includes any human occupants of space systems who may be exposed to this hazardous energy and radiation environment. Evidence of the deadly nature of these outbursts, and what followed, was clearly demonstrated in 1859 in what has become known as the Carrington Event. Evidence of similar events has been found in the geologic record, most notably Greenland ice cores. From this evidence, it appears events of this magnitude occur approximately once every 500 years. Storms with a fifth of this energy are estimated to occur several times every 100 years. The good news is that these storms typically last but a few hours. More importantly, we have the technology to protect ourselves, both on Earth and in space.
Frederick M. Jonas has retired
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baker DN, Green JL (2011) The perfect solar superstorm. Sky Telescope 121(2):28–34
Ferris T (2012) Sunny with a chance of Woe (sun struck). Natl Geogr 221(6):36–53
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this entry
Cite this entry
Jonas, F.M. (2015). Solar Flares. In: Pelton, J., Allahdadi, F. (eds) Handbook of Cosmic Hazards and Planetary Defense. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03952-7_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03952-7_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-03951-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-03952-7
eBook Packages: EngineeringReference Module Computer Science and Engineering