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Comment by grugagag | Hacker News Reader

Does this have any effect on the human body? Is this exposure measurably damaging for people?

As long as you're not in space you should be fine. If you are on the ISS, then you have some other experts you can consult, us randos on HN won't be able to help you much.

I would not be surprised if some space folk frequent this site.

I work on space weather stuff... but only on it's impact to satellite orbits, not impact to humans, sorry!

This guy edge-cases

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/

More serious answer: No risk for people, not even astronauts based on the current projections for the associated solar radiation storm (beyond the normal increased exposure they get up there). We'll almost certainly all have some trouble with GPS this weekend, and the folks maintaining satellites will have their hands full. Other RF systems will be disrupted at times this weekend.

> us randos on HN won't be able to help you much.

and then he did it anyway

Yes but you have to be an astronout in the outer space without enough added protection for the increase of radiation. Or maybe some increased exposure for high altitude flights near the poles. Other than that earth's atmosphere would make it that not enough exposure will reach the surface of the earth. Well things would be different for indirect harm because of satellite and signal failures. They could even cause disruption for power grid. But I think most of the protection for these systems in place take solar flares into account. So probably the effects will be minimal.

It's my understanding that a Carrington event would destroy the bulk of the electrical grid on the side of earth facing the sun at the time. But would be pleased to hear how I'm wrong!

It depends on how much preparation the power grid in different places would have. I think the even will not be catastrophic but will cause a lot of damage and disruption. Mainly because we will lose satellite communication system and GPS systems and there will be at least localized problems with the grid system in different parts of the world.

HN was hyping a Carrington event four months ago and civilization survived so that later I was able to ask about it:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40685573

If we ever colonise Mars, will the colonies be more or less vulnerable to solar flares than Earth? Not that I know anything this subject, but my understanding is that Mars has a much thinner atmosphere than Earth, and no magnetosphere. Would that make solar flares more dangerous? Or would the colonists be protected by whatever habitat is protecting them from everything else on Mars?

What about electronic equipment that sits outside the human-habitable zones? Could it be fried by a solar flare that would be relatively harmless on Earth?

It woud need to be planned heavily and these Colonies would need to dig underground for protections during strong solar flares. Another option will be to use shields around the Colonies. Otherwise the short exposure will lead to traditions sickness which could lead to many complications. The longer exposure however would lead to cancer due to severe damage to tissues.

Also protecting electronics would be much harder. Your ability to do anything except digging during these times will be limited.

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