The sun's recent activity has been increasingly concerning.
A sunspot named AR3038 is allegedly facing Earth and is currently being monitored by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory for any developments.
Although not dangerous on its own, a sunspot could be a gateway for other nastier surprises the sun has in store for us should lady luck fail us at a critical moment in our celestial neighborhood.
However, let's discuss what is a sunspot first:
Sunspots - What Are They?
Sunspots, like AR3038, are dark, planet-sized regions of strong magnetic fields on the surface of the sun, according to Space.com. These regions appear darker or resemble spots on Earth due to them being cooler than their surroundings.
They are also considered to be experts' windows to learn more about the sun's magnetic interior due to them indicating the level of solar activity during a solar cycle based on how frequent they appear and how intense they are.
Sunspots are allegedly formed by disturbances in the sun's magnetic field welling up to the photosphere, which is the sun's visible surface from Earth. Once they're formed, they remain in the sun's photosphere for days to weeks, according to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.
Some even stay in the sun for months before they dissipate.
However, it is from these sunspots that the sun's nasty surprises come. The powerful magnetic fields in the sunspot's vicinity produce active regions on the sun, which will create disturbances such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CME), both of which are bad news for us here on Earth.
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AR3038 is reported to have doubled its size in only 24 hours, according to scientists at SpaceWeather.com, and EarthSky added that solar flares have erupted from AR3038 on June 20 at 2:28 am ET.
EarthSky mentioned that the biggest flare came from AR3038 and that it was a C5.7 flare.
What Are Solar Flares And Coronal Mass Ejections?
A solar flare, as defined by NASA, is an intense burst of radiation from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. These events last from minutes to hours. High-energy particles, such as electron streams, hard x-rays, and radio bursts, are often emitted through these solar flares by a CME, per Britannica.
When the CME's charged particles reach Earth, they can collide with our planet's magnetosphere, causing the auroras we know today.
However, solar flares can also harm life on Earth indirectly.
Although they are harmless to us while we are within the confines of Earth, the charged particles from the CMEs can disrupt or break satellites in orbit. It can also cause temporary or permanent disturbances with telecommunication and navigation systems, affect power grids, and blackout entire cities and even regions, per EarthSky.org.
Some CMEs can also temporarily or permanently knock out electronics like laptops and phones.
And with a sunspot directly facing our home planet, the right kind of solar flare or CME could cause serious damage to Earth's many electronics and critical technologies.
How To Protect Your Gadgets From CMEs And Solar Flares
If you're concerned that a CME or solar will affect Earth's technologies, it would be best to get the necessary items to avoid the inconveniences of such an event.
Today's Home Owner suggests that people get backup energy supply that will take their home off the power grid, such as a solar panel and wind turbine, which are resistant to the effects of a CME and solar flares' influence due to them being non-electric appliances, per UWK.
Additionally, getting an uninterrupted power supply allows you and your family to keep computers and other critical electronics from taking damaged due to power fluctuations and brownouts.
If you don't want your laptop, phone, and any other electronics to get knocked out, you can create your own Faraday case with a cardboard box or a metal garbage can and some aluminum foil.
First, unplug any electronics you want to protect and put them inside a sealed cardboard box, then wrap it completely with aluminum foil or get a metal garbage can and line its interior with cardboard.
The aluminum foil will prevent radiation from CMEs and solar flares from affecting any electronics inside the box or garbage can as long as they are tightly sealed.
Related Article: Solar Flare Captured in a Photo by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory
