30 minutes to the end of the world: NASA says when it will be able to warn of a superflare on the Sun

The artificial intelligence system, which will be trained on the data on the occurrence of solar storms, is likely to give humanity about 30 minutes in case a threatening solar flare is recorded. Scientists predict that one of these superflares could occur in the next century.

The AI is being trained by experts from NASA, who are aiming to create a never-before-seen early warning system. Such a system, as planned, will not only inform about the outbreak, but also predict which area of the Earth will be most affected.

The time that people will have to escape is explained by the fact that the light from the solar flare will reach the Earth faster than the ejected solar material due to its speed. After all, it is the plasma ejected as a result of the flare that can cause trouble on Earth.

The Sun's activity is now monitored by many satellites that can be used to detect such solar flares. In particular, the ACE, Wind, IMP-8 and Geotail satellites provide data to the NASA team.

According to Universe Today, it is not so easy to teach AI to make predictions about solar storms. Such an algorithm should not only say that a storm is approaching, it should predict it, but also know how hard it will hit the Earth. To do this, the researchers used data from ground-based observation stations that have also been affected by some storms detected by satellites.

The model they developed, called DAGGER, was not only successful in its predictions, but also capable of making them almost instantly.

The researchers, led by Vishal Upendran from the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in India, said that the algorithm can analyse a storm and report its strength and direction of movement in just a second. Previously existing algorithms were also able to predict the strength and direction of a hurricane, but provided data almost immediately before the storm reached the Earth.

Scientists note that DAGGER will be a significant step forward in predicting and accurately responding to the potential danger from solar flares. It is predicted that AI will be able to collect enough useful data just in time to protect humanity in times of possible adversity. It is known that in 2025, the Sun will approach the peak of its 11-year cycle.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL reported that scientists predict that a superflare on the Sun, which could cause a global cataclysm, could occur in the next 100 years.

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