Study Suggests Sun May Be Overdue for Rare and Powerful Superflare

Research on similar stars indicates superflares could occur on the Sun roughly once every century, posing potential risks to Earth's technology and infrastructure.

A new study analyzed data from over 56,000 sun-like stars, revealing that superflares—massive solar explosions—occur approximately once per century on such stars.
Superflares release up to 10,000 times the energy of typical solar flares, with potential to disrupt satellites, power grids, and communication systems on Earth.
The research used NASA's Kepler telescope data to simulate 220,000 years of stellar activity, identifying nearly 3,000 superflares on sun-like stars.
The Sun’s last major recorded solar storm, the 1859 Carrington Event, was far less powerful than a superflare but still caused widespread telegraph failures and fires.
Scientists caution that while the Sun appears less active than many similar stars, its ability to produce superflares remains uncertain and warrants further investigation.