Solar flare

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference

Solar flares are bursts of energy given off by active stars periodically. Solar flares contain gamma radiation which can be used as a power source and they can devastate entire planets.

Historical significance

Because of this being the greatest solar flare for a thousand years, it can be assumed that another solar flare hit the Earth in about 2930.
These do not appear to be the same solar flares that devastated Earth in The Ark in Space, as other stories show that Earth remained inhabited for centuries afterwards.
  • Sometime after the 31st century, Human scientists predicted that due to solar flare activity the Earth would be uninhabitable for 5000 years, and froze a group of carefully selected humans in an "Ark" in space to repopulate the Earth thereafter. The rest of the humans were evacuated to Thermic shelters but were apparently not expected to survive through the entire period. (DW: The Ark in Space)

See also

Solar flare