Most of us, at some point, have gazed up at an aurora and been left breathless by those beautiful, shimmering curtains of color. These light shows are powered by solar activity, primarily solar flares—did you know that?
According to NASA, the sun emitted another powerful solar flare on October 24th, 2024.
Solar flares, however, do a lot more than paint the night sky in pastel greens, pinks, and purples. They can wreak havoc on electronics, both here on Earth and up in orbit.
In this article, we will discuss how solar flares affect electronics. But before that, let us walk you through what solar flare is and why we should care about it.
Solar Flare: What Is It?
Solar flares are intense bursts of radiation that originate from the surface of the sun. This phenomenon usually occurs when the sun suddenly releases energy stored in 'twisted' magnetic fields.
A solar flare is similar to a volcanic eruption. But instead of lava and ash, they release energy across the entire electromagnetic spectrum—everything from radio waves to X-rays.
Scientists, the European Space Agency says, categorize solar flares based on their peak brightness in X-ray wavelengths. X-class flares are the most powerful. M-class flares are medium-sized, and C-class, B-class, and A-class flares are the smallest.
According to the National Geophysical Data Center, these flares appear as intense bursts in a specific region of the sun and can last several minutes.
Why Should We Care About Solar Flares?
The sun is about 93 million miles away from the Earth, so why should we be concerned?
The Earth's atmosphere protects us from most solar radiation. However, the electromagnetic waves from a solar flare can travel at the speed of light, hitting the planet in just over 8 minutes.
When they do, they can disrupt a whole range of systems, from satellites and navigation systems to power grids and radio communications.
That is just the start. When it comes to electronics, the problem boils down to radiation. Solar flares emit high-energy particles that can damage electronic circuits.
These high-energy particles are fast and tiny—small enough to penetrate protective layers and disrupt the electrons in a circuit. If enough particles hit a device in a short time, they can cause data errors, damage circuits, and, in the worst cases, destroy equipment outright.
Real-World Impacts: How Do Solar Flares Affect Electronics
Solar flares can affect electronics in several ways. We will discuss a few of them here:
1. Disrupting GPS and Navigation Systems
Solar flares interfere with GPS signals. These signals rely on satellites orbiting the Earth to navigate. These satellites communicate by sending signals back to devices on Earth, like your car's GPS or smartphone.
Now, when a strong solar flare hits, it releases a huge amount of electromagnetic radiation, which can interfere with these signals. This phenomenon is called radio blackout. Hence, your GPS might struggle to get a signal or point you in the wrong direction during intense solar flare activity.
On October 1st, 2024, a sunspot exploded, which sent an extremely powerful solar flare toward Earth through space. The second-strongest flare, measured X7.1, caused shortwave radio blackouts throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean, reports Newsweek.
So, if you are planning a road trip or even flying a plane, it is good to be aware of space weather forecasts to avoid unexpected detours.
2. Causing Errors in Electronics and Even Computer Crashes
Have you ever been working on your computer or phone when it suddenly glitches or crashes? In rare cases, this could be due to solar flare activity.
The energetic particles from solar flares can reach Earth and create small electrical currents that can interfere with your devices. This is especially common with devices that have a sensitive chip.
For the most part, modern electronics are designed with some resistance to interference. However, in cases of severe solar storms, these particles can cause a single event upset or SEU, where a small error occurs in the data processing of a microchip.
This glitch could be harmless—say, a temporary screen freeze—but in critical systems, it can lead to data corruption or even hardware damage if it happens repeatedly.
In such cases, having personal property insurance that covers your electronics can be a lifesaver. It will come in handy when replacing damaged devices without a major financial hit.
Personal property insurance, Hippo explains, provides loss and theft coverage for the things you own and is available as part of your home's casualty insurance policy. It can help replace certain valuable belongings, including a laptop and other electronic devices that may get damaged due to a solar flare.
3. Knock Out Power Grid
A powerful solar flare has the potential to knock out power grids.
Solar flares do not just release radiation. They also send out massive amounts of charged particles. A strong flare can cause a geomagnetic storm.
Geomagnetically induced currents, CBS News states, can exceed 100 amperes, which is equivalent to the electrical service provided to many households. These often flow into the electrical components connected to the grid, such as relays, transformers, and sensors.
Currents of this size can induce internal component damage, which results in large-scale power outages.
One of the most famous instances of this was the 1989 Quebec blackout. That year, a massive solar storm struck the Earth on March 13th, causing a nine-hour electricity blackout in the eastern province of Canada.
4. Interfering with Radio Communications
Solar flares can send out a mix of high-energy particles and radiation, including radio waves. This can seriously mess with radio signals on Earth.
This can be a major problem for emergency services, pilots, and ships that rely on radio communication for navigation and coordination. You might notice increased static, distorted signals, or even complete radio blackouts during a flare.
This interference, specifically called high-frequency radio blackouts, can make certain frequencies practically unusable.
They last for a few hours, but in critical situations, even a short communication blackout can make things challenging.
A solar flare is a reminder of how interconnected our world is and how cosmic events can have a ripple effect on our daily lives.
With more satellites being launched for everything from high-speed internet to climate monitoring, the need to protect against solar flare risks grows. However, scientists and engineers are working hard to minimize the impacts of solar flares.
Tracking solar activity and using equipment that can withstand radiation are two ways to make electronics more resilient.
While we cannot stop solar flares, this blend of innovation and preparation shows that we can learn to live with them.