We have new information since this article was published in The Conversation in 2022. Watch a 2024 video interview with David Wallace, the electrical engineer, specializing in electric grids, who is the author of this article, here: Will solar flares destroy modern civilization? Nah. Solar Cycle 25 is peakingWe’re seeing more solar storms as the sun’s activity increases during solar maximum (video). And the geomagnetic storm that began on May 10, 2024, generated stunning auroras that people saw as far south as Mexico. The storms also generated headaches for farmers whose GPS-guided tractors were idled in the middle of planting season.Geomagnetic storms occur when a large bubble of superheated gas called plasma gets ejected from the surface of the sun and hits Earth. This bubble is known as a coronal mass ejection. The plasma of a coronal mass ejection consists of a cloud of protons and electrons, which are electrically charged particles. When these particles reach Earth, they interact...
