Is a solar flare coming? September 24 Blackout doomsday conspiracy theory explained 

Conspiracy theories about September 24, 2022, have continued to take social media by storm ever since German politician Friedrich Merz’s comments about the date went viral online. In the video, he can be seen saying:

“This 24th of September will remain in our memories. In the future we’ll say ‘I remember where I was on that day.’”

Although the politician’s speech did not aim to be about the end of the world, it sparked a viral trend of conspiracies surrounding doomsday.

Some social media users even pointed out that The Simpsons also predicted the world ending on the 24th of this month during the ninth episode of the 24th season of the show.

Two of the latest online theories about the day that recently went viral involve predictions about a global blackout and fears of a giant solar flare. However, none of the theories have been proven so far, and it remains unknown if a solar flare is coming.

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A look into the September 24 solar flare conspiracy theory

Solar flares can be defined as electromagnetic radiation in the atmosphere of the sun. According to NASA, a solar flare is an “intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy” from the surface of the sun.

The phenomenon occurs when the magnetic energy from the sun increases the presence of charged particles and results in the emission of electromagnetic radiation. This radiation is usually absorbed by the daylight on the Earth’s ionosphere and does not reach the surface.

Solar flares reportedly increase the “ionization of the ionosphere” and often interfere with short-wave radio communication. However, no harmful radiation from a solar flare can directly reach the Earth to harm humans, as per NASA.

Despite the scientific explanation, conspiracy theorists are of the opinion that the Earth could be hit by a major solar flare on September 24. Some of the solar flare theories have reportedly stemmed from the influx of solar storms across the globe this year.

As per Spaceweather, Norway’s Tromso experienced an extreme aurora event on the 20th of this month, and tour guide Markus Varik claimed that the aurora lights moved in “all kinds of directions.” As the sun gets closer to its solar maximum phase, solar storms have become increasingly frequent.

Earlier this year, more than 40 satellites from SpaceX were destroyed in a solar storm. These storms also caused GPS disruptions and radio blackouts. If such solar storms get stronger, the Earth could face major problems with GPS, satellites, mobile networks and internet services.

However, no official report or scientific warning has been provided about any catastrophic solar storm on the 24th.

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A look into the September 24 Blackout doomsday conspiracy theory

The solar storm theory sparked another conspiracy about a global blackout taking place on September 24. Although the world has never experienced a global blackout, it is believed that the phenomenon would result in the world being rendered without electricity.

A global blackout would see a world with no lights, no internet, and no electronic facility resulting in being cut off from communication. Reports suggest that natural or manmade disasters like asteroids or cyber attacks can cause a global blackout.

Conspiracy theorists are now of the opinion that a global blackout will take place on the 24th and the world will come to a standstill. However, no evidence is currently available to prove the theory.

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Twitter reacts to September 24 conspiracy theories

Several social media users believed that the world will come to an end on September 24 (Image via Getty Images)

The conspiracy theories surrounding the date of September 24 and the advent of Doomsday have gone viral all across the internet, with several people believing that the world will come to an end on the day.

More recently, netizens took to Twitter to share their theories and reactions about a major solar flare and a global blackout happening on the 24th. Here are some of their reactions:

As theories continued to pour in online, France24 spoke to Friedrich Merz's political party, the Christian Democratic Union, to address his speech that served as a key element of the now-viral theories.

The party responded by debunking the "Doomsday" theory and said:

“Mr Merz meant February 24 (beginning of Russia-Ukraine crisis) and mistakenly said September 24. So it was unintentional.”

Irrespective of the conspiracy theories, there is no factual evidence to prove that the world will come to an end on September 24.