Do geomagnetic storms affect humans? Solar flares, also called geomagnetic storms or geomagnetic disturbances, are when the sun releases excess energy, often in the form of massive explosions.
This rapid magnetic field variation can impact life on Earth. Satellites, oil and gas drilling, radio communication, GPS systems, and electric power grids can be affected by these changes in “space weather.” People may wonder if these geomagnetic storms harm humans.
While the sun can produce solar flares that can damage machinery and technology, there’s little evidence to suggest solar flares have dangerous effects on humans.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 geomagnetic 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.”
Because geomagnetic storms can have such powerful impacts on machinery and technology, some have wondered if these events can harm human health, too. People have reported feeling sick or having headaches following solar flares. Some research shows a link between geomagnetic disturbances and increased rates of heart problems; however, more research is needed.6
However, most experts agree that 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.”7
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 geomagnetic storms naturally occurs in the environment but isn’t a threat to human health from day to day.8
People on airplanes flying at high altitudes over the poles might be at increased risk for some of this radiation, said Gary. Occasionally, flight routes are changed during periods of unusual solar activity.9
For anyone on the ground, added 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.
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:
- Blood flow alterations
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Cardiovascular disease
- Epileptic seizures
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased incidence of myocardial infarction-related death
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 Gary.
The giant power grid amplifies those tiny changes, said Gary, but they’re unlikely to affect an individual human body.
What the bible states regarding the sun:
During the Great Tribulation Period, humans will be scorched by the sun for 6 months, leaving boils on their skin from the intense heat.
In the biblical Book of Revelation (specifically, Revelation 16:8-9), men are scorched by great heat as a result of a divine judgment from the fourth angel pouring out his bowl of wrath. This intense scorching, which causes severe suffering, does not lead the people to repent and give glory to God, but instead causes them to curse God for their pain. The event is a symbolic representation of God’s wrath and the severity of the trials during the end times.
- The Fourth Angel’s Judgment: The scorching is described as the result of the fourth angel pouring his bowl onto the sun, giving it power to scorch men with fire.
- Symbolic Meaning: This event is seen as a symbol of severe trials and God’s wrath on an unrepentant world. It represents a time when natural elements become instruments of judgment.
- Human Reaction: Instead of repenting, those affected curse God for their suffering, which is seen as a reflection of the hardness of the human heart even in the face of severe misery.
- Context in Revelation: The scorching is part of a series of increasingly severe “bowl judgments” that occur before the return of Christ
Scientifically speaking, the Earth is protected by a magnetosphere, which deflects charged particles from solar winds, and its atmosphere, which absorbs most of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The magnetosphere acts as a shield by creating a protective bubble around the planet, while the ozone layer within the atmosphere absorbs damaging UV-B and UV-C rays.
However, during the bowls of wrath, the angel will pour out the bowl onto the sun, and the flares that come from it will be so intense, they will penetrate the earth, causing radiation to hit the planet and burn the skin of people in the Tribulation. They will not repent, and will raise their fists to heaven cursing GOD for sending the flares.
Let’s watch the recent activity of the sun over the past several months as earth has been basically bombed week after week with these solar flares and plasma all year long…
