Rumors are circulating on the internet that by 2025, due to severe magnetic storms triggered by solar flares, the world could be left without internet access and even without electricity. Social media users are being alarmed by predictions of global failures and total chaos. How true is this? Tengri Life's correspondent investigated.
The speculation about potential global disruptions in communication and electricity in 2025 is gaining traction on TikTok. Video creators claim that solar storms, which are supposedly set to peak in activity next year, could disable satellites, disrupt server operations, and even leave us without power.
According to staff at the Institute of Ionosphere, making such predictions is simply unrealistic. The main reason is that it is not possible to determine solar flares that far in advance.
"It is impossible to accurately predict extremely powerful events on the Sun in advance. We can make precise forecasts for a few hours and approximate ones for a few days, but not further. Therefore, foreseeing such an event a year in advance is impossible. This means that the forecast of an 'internet shutdown' in 2025 is a fake," explained Olga Nikolaevna Kryakunova, the leading researcher at the laboratory for diagnosing and forecasting space weather at the Institute of Ionosphere.
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Nevertheless, according to Kazakhstani astrophysicist Viktor Teifel, solar flares can indeed have an effect on our planet, but the scale of this impact is limited. When powerful energy bursts occur on the Sun, charged particles and electromagnetic waves reach Earth, interacting with its magnetic field. This can lead to temporary disruptions in satellite operations, radio communications, and GPS.
However, as the expert notes, the influence of solar activity on ground infrastructure, such as power grids or the internet, is minimal. These processes may affect certain technologies, but they are most often localized and short-lived.
"Solar activity can have a slight impact on electronics, but mainly on those located outside of the Earth's atmosphere. For instance, satellites orbiting Earth can indeed be affected by solar streams, known as solar wind. However, even such cases are recorded extremely rarely," noted the astrophysicist.
He also explained that radio communications used on Earth are largely protected thanks to the ionosphere—a layer of the atmosphere that reflects radio waves.
"When the Sun affects the ionosphere, the concentration of charged particles or the height of their layer may change slightly, which sometimes affects shortwave radio communications. But these are minor fluctuations that rarely lead to serious disruptions," Viktor Teifel is confident.
According to Teifel, in 2025, a decline in solar activity is more likely to begin. However, even if it intensifies, serious consequences are not to be expected, as Earth is protected by the ionosphere (a layer of the atmosphere).
"Even with increased solar activity, nothing critical will happen. The only impact it may have is on the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere and the magnetic field, and even that is within acceptable limits. The Earth is shielded by its magnetic field and radiation belts, which consist of charged particles. These belts serve as a reliable shield, protecting us from direct streams of solar protons, electrons, and other charged particles," the astrophysicist explained.
The scientist also emphasized that in recent years, solar activity has not had a noticeable impact on people's daily lives. The Earth and its ecosystem have long adapted to changes associated with solar cycles, so serious consequences are not to be anticipated.
"We have been studying processes on the Sun for over 200 years, and the Sun itself has existed for more than 4.5 billion years. During this time, a vast number of solar activity cycles have occurred. In just the last two centuries, more than 20 eleven-year cycles have changed. The Earth and its ecosystem have long been accustomed to these changes, and minor fluctuations in the magnetic field do not have a significant impact," Viktor Teifel explained.