How are solar storms and geomagnetic storms formed, and how much harm do they bring to mankind?

Solar wind and solar storm refer to the violent bursts of activity produced by the sun during the peak period of sunspot activity. The high-speed particle flow formed by releasing a large number of charged particles during the explosion seriously affects the earth's space environment, destroys the ozone layer, interferes with wireless communications, and is also harmful to human health. The sun will produce solar storms at the peak of sunspot activity. It was discovered by the US "Mariner 2" probe in 1962. It is the increase in energy of the sun that intensifies its own activity, thus releasing it into the vast space. A large number of charged particles form a high-speed particle flow. Scientists liken this phenomenon to the sun "sneezing". Since the air mass in the solar wind is mainly composed of charged plasma and breaks into space at a speed of 1.5 million to 3 million kilometers per hour, it will have a huge impact on the Earth's space environment. When a solar storm breaks out, it will affect communications, threaten satellites, destroy the ozone layer, and also have a certain impact on human health. In 1850, a British astronomer named Carrington discovered a small flash of light on the surface of the sun while observing sunspots, which lasted for about 5 minutes. Carrington thought he happened to see a large meteorite fall on the sun. By the 1920s, more sophisticated instruments for studying the sun were available. People find that this "sunlight" is a common thing, and its appearance is often related to sunspots. For example, in 1899, the American astronomer Hall invented a "solar spectrograph" that could be used to observe a certain wavelength of light emitted by the sun. In this way, people can take photos of the sun by relying on the light of hydrogen, calcium, etc. that glow in the sun's atmosphere. It turned out that the sun's flash had nothing to do with any meteorite. It was just a brief explosion of hot hydrogen. Small flashes are very common, and can be observed up to a hundred times a day in areas with dense sunspots, especially when the sunspots are "growing". Huge flashes like the one Carrington saw are rare, occurring only a handful of times a year. Sometimes, the flash occurs right in the center of the sun's surface, so that it bursts in the direction of Earth. After such an outburst, strange things will happen again and again on Earth. The aurora can be intense for several days and can sometimes be seen even in temperate areas. Compass needles can also become restless and swing wildly, so this effect is sometimes called a "magnetic storm." With the advancement of science and technology, the mystery of the aurora is becoming more and more known to us. It turns out that this beautiful scenery is a work performed by the cooperation between the sun and the atmosphere. Among the forms of energy created by the sun, such as light and heat, is an energy called the "solar wind." The solar wind, a stream of charged particles ejected from the sun, is a powerful stream of charged subatomic particles that can cover the Earth. The solar wind flows around the Earth and hits the Earth's magnetic field at a speed of about 400 kilometers per second. The Earth's magnetic field is shaped like a funnel, with its tips facing the Earth's north and south magnetic poles. Therefore, the charged particles emitted by the sun settle along the "funnel" of the Earth's magnetic field and enter the Earth's polar regions. The upper atmosphere at the poles emits light after being bombarded by the solar wind, forming auroras. What forms in the Antarctic region is called the Aurora Australis. What forms in the Arctic region is called the Northern Lights. Before this century, such conditions had little impact on humans. However, by the 20th century, it was discovered that magnetic storms can affect radio reception and various electronic devices can also be affected. As humans become more and more dependent on these devices, magnetic storms are becoming more and more important. For example, during a geomagnetic storm, radio and television transmissions are disrupted and radar cannot work. Solar storms are high-speed particle flows formed by the massive flow of charged particles released into space due to the increase in energy from the sun. Since the main content of the air mass in the solar storm is charged plasma and breaks into space at a speed of 1.5 million to 3 million kilometers per hour, it will have a huge impact on the Earth's space environment. When a solar storm breaks out, it will affect communications, threaten satellites, and destroy the ozone layer. Scientists vividly compare solar storms to the sun "sneezing". The activity of the sun is very important to the earth, so when the sun "sneeze", the earth will often have a "high fever". Solar storms occur every 11 years with the sunspot activity cycle. Since last year, we have entered the peak year of sunspots, and sunspots have entered an active period and will continue until this summer. It is reported that a solar storm in the 1970s led to intensified atmospheric activity, which increased the flight resistance of the "Salyut" space station belonging to the Soviet Union at the time, causing it to deviate from its original orbit. In 1989, a solar storm damaged the power supply systems of Quebec, Canada and New Jersey, USA, causing losses of more than US$1 billion. Solar storms caused by sunspot activity are also a major test for commercial satellites. At present, scientists from various countries are actively studying solar storms, but unremitting research is still needed on the violent activities of the sun, sunspot outbursts, the specific impact of solar storms on the earth and how to prevent them. Astronomers studied the Sun's flashes more closely and found that hot hydrogen was apparently flung far away in these bursts, some of which overcomes the Sun's massive gravity and shoots into space. The nucleus of hydrogen is a proton, so there is a cloud of protons (and a small number of complex nuclei) surrounding the sun. In 1958, American physicist Parker called this outward proton cloud the "solar wind."

Most of the protons coming toward the Earth will be pushed away by the Earth's own magnetic field when they reach the Earth. However, some will still enter the atmosphere, causing auroras and various electrical phenomena. A huge explosion of a powerful proton cloud shooting towards the Earth will produce a phenomenon called a "solar storm". At this time, the magnetic storm effect will appear. It is also the solar wind that creates the comet's tail. When a comet approaches the sun, the dust and gas surrounding the star will be blown behind by the solar wind. This effect has also been confirmed on satellites. A satellite as large and light as Echo 1 would be blown significantly out of its calculated orbit by the solar wind. According to the latest reports, while observing cosmic weather, NASA discovered that the sun will wake up again in 2013 and a solar storm will erupt. If this comes true, the economic losses to humanity are expected to be 20 times that of Hurricane Katrina (Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in the United States in 2005, causing losses of US$125 billion.