Solar Flares in 2012
A solar flare is a bright and bold ball of energy that is released from the surface of the sun. A solar flare develops much deeper than at the surface of the sun. A solar flare begins to develop at the core of the sun.
The sun rotates and revolves at the same angle the Earth does. The sun’s rotation is not nearly as stable as the Earth’s. In fact, it is very unstable at the core due to this wobbly rotation. This causes a disruption at the core of the sun. The disruption then travels all the way to the outer layer of the sun. As the disruption that took place in the core reaches the outer layers of the sun, a large ball of energy that contains fragments of the sun’s surface are released. This is known as a solar flare. A solar flare can be compared to a thunderstorm like we have here on Earth. Imagine a large and powerful thunderstorm taking place on the surface of the sun. Radiation is very strong during these thunderstorm like occurrences known as solar flares.
A solar flare produces radiation that is hazardous to humans. There is a large amount of electricity and power contained in a solar flare. The amount of energy that is behind a solar flare as it shoots out into space is phenomenal. If the destruction from the solar flare does not wipe out the human race, the radiation that could effect our planet will ensure that human life is never the same.
Solar Cycles
The sun has cycles that are much like the seasons of the year that we have on Earth. While the four seasons of the Earth can go by in a single calender year, the sun’s cycles last for eleven years. The last known solar cycle happened in 2001. During the solar cycle, there is a period during the cycle when solar flares are at their highest activity peak. These high peaks of activity usually take place in or around the solar equator.
These high levels of solar activity on the sun is called a solar maximum. In recent years solar activity on the sun has been fairly quiet. This information has lead scientists to believe that we are headed for a large amount of solar activity in 2012. This is the sun’s twenty fourth cycle. Some researchers believe that since the solar activity has been low, that as the sun approaches the new cycle, no serious solar activity will occur. Even NASA scientist are baffled as to what will happen in the December of 2012. The Mayan prophecy believers state that the Mayans used their advances in math, science, and astronomy to predict this cataclysmic event. Whether or not this is true has yet to be decided, but the doomsday date is looming near.
During a solar cycle the amount of activity decreases once the cycle has reached the peak of it’s activity. The amount of activity that occurs on the surface of the sun increases and decreases accordingly during the eleven year period that makes of the solar cycle of the sun.
Impact to Earth
Solar flares have caused destruction many times throughout history. Both in 1859 and 1921 the Earth was ravaged by solar flare activity. Chaos was everywhere as many of the telegraph lines that were still being used at that time were destroyed. With the population increase since these dates, the destruction of a large solar flare in 2012 could the the end of mankind completely.
Some research states the the solar cycle of 2012 could produce either a very small solar flare that should not be a worry at all, or a massive solar flare that could put an end to mankind. It has also been reported that over two trillion dollars worth of damage could be caused by the up and coming solar cycle. Hurricane Katrina did not cause that much damage. Needless to say, this is going to be one monster solar flare.
Electrical transformers are sure to be wiped out along with many forms of communication. It could take decades to repair the damage if we manage to survive at all. The chaos is sure to lead to loss of government control as well as many other problems. Riots, crime sprees, and panic in the streets will break lose as the government collapses. Without a leader in power and control lost, if the solar flare leaves survivors, the chaos and panic is sure to seriously decimate that number.
There is not a lot that one can do to prepare themselves for a solar flare. If your area is hit by a solar flare, all life will be completely cleaned out. For those who survive the initial impact, the radiation will destroy. For the small few who survive being exposed to massive amounts of radiation brought by the solar flare, the chaos and madness that will follow will make them wish they hadn’t.
The History of Solar Flares
A solar flare could hit the Earth and not a soul would notice if it was small in size. Other solar flares that are small in stature can cause serious damage to the Earth. The amount of destruction depends on a lot of deciding factors like the location of the impact as well as the sheer size. North America was hit by a solar flare in the year 1989. Serious rolling blackouts and other electrical problems occurred. The solar flare that hit in 1859 was a more serious event. The Northern Lights, which can only be seen in specific areas of the world, were so bright, that people could sit outside in the middle of the night and read their favorite book by the glow of the green and red display. This storm was known as the Carrington event due to fact that Richard Carrington, an astronomer, witnessed the incredible event.
If a solar flare was to hit the Earth, our electrical grid would be completely decimated. That means that there would be a loss of all electronic devices, such as if an electronic magnetic pulse were to hit. Expect to lose access to running water as well. Cars that were built centered around computer based chips will no longer function. Airports would not be able to function nor would cell phones. Forget about logging on to your computer or even picking up your land line based telephone. Satellites that orbit the Earth could be knocked completely out of orbit. This will not be the kind of black out that is limited to one country or even one continent. There will be worldwide black outs. The next solar flare is predicted to occur on December 21, 2012. This is the exact date of the Mayan doomsday prophecy. In fact, this up and coming solar cycle is determined to be one of the strongest and most active in history.
The solar flare that hit in 1921 was not near as destructive as the solar flare of 1859 or the solar flare that hit the Northern American continent, but it was serious nonetheless. Explosions and serious blackouts were experienced then as well.
For those who think a simple life without electricity and modern conveniences does not sound that bad need to consider the food shortages that will occur as perishable items are not kept properly. Consider the illness that will break out simply due to unsafe food storage. Winters in colder climates will be brutal without being able to easily flip on the heat. Illnesses due to unclean living environments due to lack of running water will sky rocket. If a solar flare were to hit the Earth, the destruction would not be limited to our physical planet. Our current way of life would be completely destroyed as well.
