Episode 571: The Sun: Hell in the Heavens
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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look to the heavens and talk about the Sun. It is the primary source of energy for our solar system, and its scale and power are enough to give you anxiety if you really dig into the facts. It has been worshiped as a god in most ancient civilizations, until science started to understand its incredible power. While it gives us heat, light, and solar power, it is also dangerous. We talk about something called a Carrington-Level solar event and how it could end civilization as we know it.
It was first observed scientifically by the ancient Babylonians and the Chinese, but Europe got into the game with some Greek scientists as well as Copernicus and Galileo. One of the most terrifying things was a solar storm watched by solar astronomer Richard Carrington in 1859. He saw a storm and soon thereafter, telegraph lines started to burn out and catch fire, and the sky glowed green from Hawaii to Mexico.
This event would be catastrophic if it happened now. What would it do to our electrical grid? How would it affect GPS, satellites, and cell phones? Why do some experts think it would be the utter collapse of society, and how likely is it to happen again? Listen, laugh, learn.
Visit our sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun
https://www.space.com/58-the-sun-formation-facts-and-characteristics.html
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/solar-activity/en/#:~:text=Solar%20flares%20are%20a%20sudden,areas%20are%20called%20magnetic%20fields.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/01/31/this-multi-trillion-dollar-disaster-is-coming-and-solar-astronomy-is-our-prime-defense/?sh=4a6b81807613
https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/dangers-solar-storms-which-gives-power-can-also-take-it-away
https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/dangers-solar-storms-which-gives-power-can-also-take-it-away
https://sunlightinstitute.org/sanitizing-with-sunlight-the-best-disinfectant-know/
Star Comparison: https://videos.space.com/m/V2QrEObL/how-big-can-stars-get-awesome-visualization-shows-scale?list=9wzCTV4g
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