Scientists found that since 2008, the sun’s solar wind, which are streams of charged particles, has grown stronger, with increases in speed, density, temperature, and magnetic field strength.<\/p>\n
This increased solar activity could lead to more powerful solar storms, which regularly hit Earth and cause disruptions.<\/a><\/p>\n Geomagnetic storms have the potential to damage power grids, leading to blackouts, interfere with satellites, and disrupt communication systems like GPS.<\/a><\/p>\n Stronger storms could also make the Northern Lights visible<\/a> in more places further south of the north pole, but the risk to technology and infrastructure will require careful monitoring.<\/p>\n The exact timing and strength of these storms are hard to predict, but they could become more frequent as the sun’s current 11-year cycle peaks between 2025 and 2026.<\/p>\n Lead study author Jamie Jasinski of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California said: ‘All signs were pointing to the sun going into a prolonged phase of low activity. So it was a surprise to see that trend reversed. The sun is slowly waking up.’<\/p>\n A new study has discovered a massive shift in solar activity which scientists weren’t expecting<\/p>\n More solar activity could cause intensified storms that disrupt power grids on Earth (Stock Image)<\/p>\n More activity means more sunspots, solar flares, and potentially hazardous ejections of material from the sun.<\/p>\n This could make the sun\u2019s outer atmosphere, called the heliosphere, expand as the pressure from the solar wind increases.<\/p>\n On Earth, this could shrink our magnetosphere, the protective magnetic bubble around our planet, exposing us to more solar particles.<\/p>\n The increased solar particle exposure can pose a risk for astronauts, who could face higher radiation levels during space missions, potentially leading to health issues.<\/p>\n It could also damage satellites and spacecraft, disrupting communications and navigation systems critical for daily life.<\/p>\n Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service suffered widespread issues during the peak of a strong geomagnetic storm late Sunday night.<\/p>\n The problems started just before midnight, with more than 50,000 reports from Starlink users as a fresh barrage of solar storms hit Earth.<\/p>\n Additionally, solar particles could interfere with Earth’s upper atmosphere, potentially affecting ozone levels and increasing ultraviolet radiation reaching people outdoors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Solar storms striking Earth are often caused by coronal mass ejections sent out by the sun days before they affect our planet (Stock Image)<\/p>\n A severe solar storm could have the potential to cause power grid problems that lead to blackouts or satellite communication issues<\/p>\n The NASA team explained that the sun goes through an 11-year cycle of activity, marked by changes in sunspots.<\/p>\n After a weak cycle (number 24) from 2008 to 2019, the current cycle (number 25) is showing noticeably more activity.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/102228885-15108593-image-a-20_1758141110636.jpg\")
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