Science

Scientists studying 50 years of solar data warn Earth may be entering a heightened risk period for rare “superflares” capable of disrupting technology worldwide.

• Superflares are explosive energy releases up to 10,000 times stronger than typical solar flares, capable of emitting 10^32 ergs in minutes.
• The last superflare on the Sun is estimated to have occurred around 775 AD, based on carbon-14 spikes in tree rings.
• The Carrington Event of 1859, a fraction of a superflare's power, caused telegraph systems to fail globally; today's damage estimate exceeds $2 trillion.