New research reportedly suggests that a solar superflare can threaten the current plans for space travel, such as missions to Mars. There are good chances of astronauts being affected by lethal doses of radiation during their space travel, if a superflare occurs.
Solar eruptions occur regularly, which can sometimes cause devastation on our planet. A powerful superflare, which had hit the Earth's magnetic field in 1989, had caused a geomagnetic storm and rendered a blackout in the whole of Quebec in Canada within 90 seconds. A population of six million residents was consequently left in the dark. The powerful explosion from the sun also destroyed electrical transformers as far as New Jersey as well at a nuclear power plant, apart from damaging US power grids from the Pacific Northwest to the eastern Seaboard.
However, according to a study, the 1989 superflare was nothing in comparison to one that took place in 775, which was estimated to be 10 times stronger. Though the 1200 year old superflare did not leave behind disastrous results for our planet, if something similar to this magnitude were to happen again then it would be dangerous for astronauts in space.
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