Sun capable of producing superflares, study suggests

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and the University of Colorado have presented new evidence suggesting that the sun is capable of producing superflares. While such massive radiation outbursts—releasing more energy than trillions of hydrogen bombs—have previously only been observed on distant stars, this study provides a statistical link to our own sun.

The research team utilized data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory spanning from 2010 to 2016, coupling it with measurements of active regions on the solar surface. By analyzing historical records of sunspot expansion, the scientists were able to scale observed flare energies to predict the potential for superflares, even though no direct superflare event has been recorded since the beginning of the space age approximately 70 years ago.

Such solar events pose significant risks to Earth's technical infrastructure, including potential damage to satellites and electrical transformers in power substations. The study builds upon historical precedents like the 1859 Carrington Event, which caused telegraph equipment to spark and produced auroras as far south as the Caribbean.