The sun is a massive magnetic star that gives us light and warmth, helps us grow crops, and gives us a chance to catch some much-needed rays in the summer. Sometimes, the sun can produce solar flares that can damage machinery and technology—but there's little evidence to suggest harmful solar flare effects on humans. Read on to learn more.
When the energy stored in the sun's magnetic fields is suddenly released, huge explosions can happen. These explosions are called solar flares.
The flares produce sudden and intense light flashes, sending high-energy particles and a burst of ultraviolet rays into space. Particles can reach the Earth in a few hours or days, creating a magnetic storm in the Earth's atmosphere that can last for days.
Flares have been known to cause:
- Radiation storms in the upper atmosphere
- Radio blackouts around the world
- Transformer explosions
- Widespread mobile-phone outages
They can also cause fluctuations in magnetic fields, reaching the Earth's surface.
"These take a couple of days to get here, but when they arrive, they can interact with our magnetosphere," Dale Gary, Ph.D., distinguished professor of physics at the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (NJIT), told Health. "That can induce currents in our power lines, and when that happens, transformers can blow, or power outages can occur."
Solar Flares and Human Health
Because of the above events, some have wondered if solar flares can harm human health. Some people have reported feeling sick or having headaches following solar flares, but little to no research has suggested these links.
In other words, solar flares are nothing to worry about from a health perspective. "Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground," said NASA in a 2017 statement. "However—when intense enough—they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel."
Dr. Gary agreed with NASA's statement: "There are potential health effects for anyone exposed to that high-energy radiation, but actually we are protected because those rays and particles get absorbed into our atmosphere." The radiation from solar events like solar flares naturally occurs in the environment but isn't a threat to human health from day to day.
People on airplanes flying at high altitudes over the poles might be at increased risk for some of this radiation, said Dr. Gary. Occasionally, flight routes are changed during periods of unusual solar activity.
For anyone on the ground, added Dr. Gary, there's not much to worry about except for potential safety issues if the power goes out. GPS and traffic-light outages could make for risky driving, for example, or hospitals could theoretically lose access to health data.
Suggested Solar Activity Impacts on Human Health
Not everyone has been convinced that solar flares are completely harmless. The area of science dedicated to investigating the connections between human health and solar activity is called "heliobiology." Some researchers contend that the link can be negative.
One study said a variety of health issues may be caused by changes in the solar and geomagnetic environment, including:
Dr. Gary doubted the connections between solar flares and human health. "The change in the magnetic field we're talking about is really small. If you think of the magnetic field that causes your compass needle to point north, we're talking about a 10th of a percent of that fluctuation," explained Dr. Gary.
Our giant power grid amplifies those tiny changes, said Dr. Gary, but they're unlikely to affect an individual human body.
Solar flares come from sun explosions, which can be great enough to cause mechanical and technological problems on Earth. Individuals have reported experiencing health problems from this type of solar activity, and researchers have suggested solar flares might be able to affect human health. However, health issues like headaches or mood changes are unlikely following a solar flare event.
FAQs
Sometimes, the sun can produce solar flares that can damage machinery and technology—but there's little evidence to suggest harmful solar flare effects on humans.
Can solar flares affect the human body? ›
An uncommonly powerful solar storm is poised to cause potentially severe geomagnetic... This is in part because visible light from solar flares can disrupt the circadian rhythm, which can in turn affect heart function and the body's ability to regulate glucose.
Do solar flares cause fatigue? ›
Maybe you're experiencing more difficulty sleeping than usual, unexplained bouts of nausea, dizziness, extreme exhaustion, or even difficulty remembering things. These can all be the result of solar flares.
How worried should we be about solar flares? ›
Powerful outbursts from the sun—like this bright, flashing solar flare and the adjacent eruption of hot glowing gas—can wreak havoc with Earth's power grids, computers and telecommunications. The sun is ramping up for a big year.
Can solar flares affect sleep? ›
Solar storms reduce melatonin levels by affecting enzymes required for its biosynthesis in the pineal gland and retina [13].
Can you feel sick from solar flares? ›
Some people have reported feeling sick or having headaches following solar flares, but little to no research has suggested these links. For anyone on the ground, added Dr. Gary, there's not much to worry about except for potential safety issues if the power goes out.
Can solar flares cause joint pain? ›
The results, published in May in BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal) Open, show a "highly significant" correlation between periodic solar storms and incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and giant cell arteritis (GCA), two potentially debilitating autoimmune diseases.
Can solar flares affect blood pressure? ›
Despite this protective shield, solar activity can cause geomagnetic disturbances (GMD), disruptions to the Earth's natural magnetic field oscillations, and can impact autonomic nervous system activities,1, 2 which can, in turn, directly and indirectly play a role in initiating and sustaining high blood pressure (BP).
Does solar energy have side effects? ›
Associated with pollution
Transportation and installation of solar systems have been associated with the emission of greenhouse gases. There are also some toxic materials and hazardous products used during the manufacturing process of solar photovoltaic systems, which can indirectly affect the environment.
How long does it take to feel the effects of a solar flare? ›
Solar flares can also release high energy protons that can arrive as early as two minutes after the EM radiation, and accompanying coronal mass ejections of particles that arrive a few days later. The radiation from a solar flare will reach the Earth in a little over 8 minutes.
Furthermore, solar flares can trigger heightened emotional states. Some people report feeling more irritable, anxious, or even experiencing mood swings. during periods of increased solar activity. These intense emotions can be a result of the energetic.
Can solar flares cause heart palpitations? ›
Increase in solar wind intensity was correlated with increases in heart rate, which we interpret as a biological stress response. Increase in cosmic rays, solar radio flux, and Schumann resonance power was all associated with increased HRV and parasympathetic activity.
Do geomagnetic storms affect mental health? ›
The hypothesis that geomagnetic storms may partly account for the seasonal variation in the incidence of depression, by acting as a precipitant of depressive illness in susceptible individuals, is supported by a statistically significant 36.2% increase in male hospital admissions with a diagnosis of depressed phase, ...
Do solar flares affect human health? ›
Solar flares produce high energy particles and radiation that are dangerous to living organisms. However, at the surface of the Earth we are well protected from the effects of solar flares and other solar activity by the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere.
What are the energetic effects of solar flares? ›
They do disturb the Earth's ionosphere, however, which in turn disturbs radio communications. Along with energetic ultraviolet radiation, they heat the Earth's outer atmosphere, causing it to expand. This increases the drag on Earth-orbiting satellites, reducing their lifetime in orbit.
Can solar flares affect skin? ›
The extra UV light that does make it through the atmosphere — and onto your skin — isn't enough to worry about, Hoeksema said. "The increase in the amount of UV on the ground is minimal." These radiation showers are actually fairly common, happening a few times a year during the active part of the sun's 11-year cycle.
Does solar radiation affect the human body? ›
Human exposure to UV radiation causes harms to the skin and eyes. For the skin in particular, the risks vary according to skin pigmentation. People with deeply pigmented skin are at particularly low risk of UV-induced skin cancer, due to the type of melanin and the degree of pigmentation.
How do solar flares affect human astrology? ›
Emotions will be heightened, we're going to be more sensitive, more empathic, more intuitive, more in tune to that energetic realm, which also means that aspects of our reality may also feel way more draining, because we're feeling more.”
Do solar flares emit radiation? ›
When sunspots interact with each other they cause explosions of energy. Solar flares are large eruptions of energy coming off the Sun containing several different forms of energy: heat, magnetic energy, and ionizing radiation. The ionizing radiation released during solar flares includes x-rays and gamma rays.
What damage have solar flares caused? ›
If they're directed at Earth, such flares and associated CMEs can create long lasting radiation storms that can harm satellites, communications systems, and even ground-based technologies and power grids.
