Solar flares, beautiful aurorae, earthquakes, digital collapse
The Earth, the ball of rock surrounded by an atmosphere and containing a life zone in which humans inhabit, along with the millions and zillions of other organisms, is experiencing the affect (or is it the effect?) of the 11-year cycle of solar flares. These massive ejections are creating beautiful Northern Lights for those living in the north-ish of the northern hemisphere, and Southern Lights for those living on land masses near enough the South Pole to see. These magical light shows in the sky are not visible around the Equator due to the electromagnetic pull at either Pole, which creates the awesome display. It could be a huge concert, lights, action, plugs, the sky lit up, the humans amazed and entertained and it is something like that because electricity generates marvellous sights, from lightning flashes to aurorae. Science knows it is not an assistant of Helios flinging down flares onto Earth, neither is it the entertainment show and which this year are providing some spectacular images captured on the smart phones. The science of solar particles and the 11-year cycle is way too complicated for this blog, only the logical view is relevant, and the fundamental equation of gravitational balance between Helios and Earth.
If another equation is measured, not scientifically but on the back of an envelope, is this time of solar flares causing greater than usual disruption to the earth surface. The 1859 Carrington Event flare was a big one and nothing has been seen on that scale since, but this year Myanmar experienced a big earthquake with the resulting devastation on the surface above it, California this week, and Spain also have had quakes. As some humans look outward at the more vivid than usual aurorae at North and South Poles, and some pick through rubble for weeks after a quake, what is the equation of impact if a big Solar flare in this time of big Solar flares just crosses the threshold of domestic, corporate, government, scientific, space technology, street lights and traffic lights, railways, water pumping stations, sensor operated entry doors and oh so much more, and the new kid on the block of the AI data generator centres. Has belief of the modern human crossed the threshold into now a religious certainty that the digital world looks back at Earth from a protected zone, a realm and place completely outside of Helios and Sun and utterly invincible (as long as you have the right charger). It is not an easy prospect to contemplate, but when is the flare going to be hurled to Earth which does just that, it turns out the lights. The aurorae will go on, beautiful because of the strength of the flare, but who would be appreciating them then?