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The sun shield that some scientists want to build

Faced with the imminent threat of solar flares that could seriously affect life on Earth, a group of scientists has proposed a novel form of protection: a gigantic sun shield ..

With a sun shield we could protect the Earth from the king star, according to scientists

Human activity in the 21st century increasingly depends on the infrastructure located in the orbit Low Terrestrial (LEO), that is, the many telecommunications satellites currently in space, the International Space Station and the GPS satellite fleet.

For this reason, the solar flares have begun to be considered a serious danger to human life, because if this infrastructure is destroyed we would be left without the tools that make our comfortable existence on the planet possible.

To treat this threat a team of scientists from Harv University ard recently published a study that proposes a bold solution: put a giant magnetic shield in orbit.

The study, which was the work of Manasavi Lingam and Abraham Loeb of the Smithsonian Center As a Harvard Astrophysicist in the United States, it is titled "Impact Strategy and Mitigation of the Solar Leakage of the Future".

As they explain, solar flares represent a serious risk in the world today, and they will become an even greater threat due to the growing presence of humanity in the lower orbit.

The sun shield that some scientists want to build

A solar flare in full action

In fact, if a solar storm like the Carrington event of 1859 occurred today, it would cause global damage to electric power networks , satellite communications and global supply chains.

To address this, Lingham and Loeb developed a simple mathematical model to assess the economic losses caused by solar flare activity over time.This model considered the increased risk of damage to the technological infrastructure based on two factors.

First, they considered the fact that the energy of solar flares increases over time, then joined the exponential growth of the technology.They determined that over time, Powerful solar flares will be more likely.

Loeb explained that there will be an event that will cause damage within the next 150 years comparable to the current US GDP of 20 billion dollars, and the damage will increase exponentially in later times until the technological development becomes saturated.

Therefore, Lingham and Loeb considered the possibility of placing a magnetic shield between the Earth and the Sun.

This escu C would be placed at point 1 of Lagrange (Point L1) between the Earth and the Sun, where it would be able to deflect the charged particles and create an arc of artificial shock around the Earth, which would protect it in a manner similar to what its magnetic field already exerts, but with a greater effect.

Lingham and Loeb claim that such a shield is technically feasible in terms of its basic physical parameters Thus, they presented a rudimentary schedule for the construction of this shield and some approximate cost assessments.

Loeb indicated that such a shield could be built before this century is over , and it would be a small fraction of the cost of what would be incurred from the damage of the solar flare.

What do you think of the idea of ​​a sun shield? Do you think they could get it ready in time?

Discover:

-What will happen when the sun dies

Images: Wikimedia Commons/NASA

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