Affecting the planet: Solar activity continues to increase

One measure of the sun's activity is the number of its sunspots. Currently, there are more than there have been in more than 20 years.

The number of sunspots is higher than it has been since 2002, with both negative and positive consequences. This is shown by data released by NASA. The more sunspots there are, the more likely there are solar flares or even solar storms.

Flares and storms see high-energy particles with a mass of several 10 billion tons hurled into space. Within a few hours, they can also reach the earth, which is about 150 million kilometers away.

The Earth's protective shield, the magnetosphere, is pulled apart like a soap bubble and can tear, so to speak. The particles can then penetrate the magnetic field.

This can damage satellites and, especially at higher latitudes, cause power grids to collapse. In 1989, for example, about 6 million people in Canada were without electricity after a solar storm, these events also produce vibrant auroras.

Auroras are much more active whenever a flare or storm arrives at earth, with the solar maximum of the current solar cycle still to arrive we should expect more shining displays over the next few years.