A new study concluded a superflare erupting from the Sun could be "disastrous" to planet Earth.
A superflare is similar to a standard solar flare, a common occurrence on the Sun and other stars, according to the study's results that appeared in the journal
Nature Communications. But superflare events emit a much higher amount of solar energy, which could affect life on Earth.
"If the Sun were to produce a superflare it would be disastrous for life on Earth," Chloe Pugh of the University of Warwick told
the Mirror Online.
"Our GPS and radio communication systems could be severely disrupted and there could be large-scale power blackouts as a result of strong electrical currents being induced in power grids."
The study looked at nearly 100,000 stars through a telescope in China and recorded data. The researchers discovered that stars with superflares typically have stronger magnetic fields than Earth's Sun. However, superflares can still occur on the Sun.
"Although superflares on solar-like stars with Sun-like rotation and chromospheric emission are an order-of-magnitude less likely than superflares on solar-like stars in general, they still occur," the story's results read.
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