What is happening on 9/15/21? The TikTok Solar Flare theory explained

15 September 2021, 12:11

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By Jazmin Duribe

Will the internet shut down on 9/15/21? Here's how the solar flare TikTok rumour started.

Today is Wednesday 15 September 2021, but why is that date so special, you ask? Well, apart from it being YouTuber Jenna Marbles' birthday, there's a rumour that something catastrophic is going to happen here on Earth. TODAY.

Now, as you can imagine this theory came from TikTok – the home of weird and unexplained conspiracy theories. TikTok users always come up with the most imaginative theories about what's going to happen on certain dates. Remember when the internet was convinced Black people would get superpowers on December 21? Yeah, that never happened.

Anyway, TikTok users are convinced that something significant is happening but what is going on? Here's the theory explained.

What's happening on 9/15/21?

What is happening on 9/15/21? Picture: Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, E!

There's a rumour that the internet will shut down on September 15 and it's all thanks to the @someone TikTok account. @someone has alleged that the internet will go down for weeks because of a solar flare, causing worldwide chaos.

The private and verified account has 10.7 million followers but no-one knows who @someone actually is. Their profile has no picture and where you might usually write your name, the @someone account simply reads "9/15/21". So far, the account is thought to have only once post – a video which has the 9/15/21 date on it…

In a TikTok comment, @someone said: "9/15/21. The day the internet will break." The account also warned everyone to "be ready" for the possible catastrophic event and "spread the news". The rumours are now all over TikTok with many believing a solar flare could actually be the end of the internet as we know it.

What is a solar flare?

According to NASA, a solar flare is "an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. Flares are our solar system’s largest explosive events".

If Earth were to be hit by a solar flare it could cause widespread damage to our electronic and digital technology. The magnetic energy could cause damage to power grids, flight plans and satellites in space, which would interrupt all communication equipment. Luckily, solar flares should pose no risk to human life.

The most severe solar storm ever recorded (called the Carrington Event) was in 1859 and it wreaked havoc on telegraph systems. The last solar flare occurred in 2012 on July 23 and missed Earth by nine days. It's thought the next solar storm should occur around 2025, National Geographic reports.