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THE Sun ejects solar flares on a fairly regular basis and they can play havoc with our tech.
Scientists are now concerned that recent wild solar activity is causing satellites to fall to Earth.
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The Sun is at the start of its 11-year cycle and in a very active phase.
That means we’re currently seeing more frequent solar flares.
Around every 11 years, the magnetic field on the Sun flips.
That means the north and south poles switch and this can cause the Sun to behave erratically before settling down.
Once it settles, the magnetic field flips and the cycle begins again.
Solar flares are bursts of radiation from the Sun that sometimes hit Earth or shoot into deep space.
Earth largely protects us from the damaging impact of solar flares by using its magnetic field.
However, they can still affect our tech and confuse migrating animals that rely on the magnetic field for direction.
Solar flares can cause radio blackouts and impact satellite communications.
It’s the latter that is currently causing concern.
The European Space Agency is worried about its Swarm constellation, which measures Earth’s magnetic field.
Anja Stromme, ESA’s Swarm mission manager, told Space.com: “In the last five, six years, the satellites were sinking about two and a half kilometers [1.5 miles] a year.
“But since December last year, they have been virtually diving. The sink rate between December and April has been 20 kilometers [12 miles] per year.”
The sinking has coincided with the Sun’s extreme activity.
It’s generally accepted that satellites will bear the brutal brunt of harsh space conditions and eventually fall back to Earth and burn up.
However, the current rate at which satellites are dropping is baffling scientists.
Stromme told Space.com: “There is a lot of complex physics that we still don’t fully understand going on in the upper layers of the atmosphere where it interacts with the solar wind.
“We know that this interaction causes an upwelling of the atmosphere. That means that the denser air shifts upwards to higher altitudes.”
SpaceX satellites are also said to be struggling with the current solar weather.
Elon Musk’s firm was said to lose 40 satellites during a recent bout of intense solar activity.
Some experts see the positive in this as the Sun is clearing some space junk around Earth.
Others are concerned about the effect this could have on our communications and the space data we collect.
Fortunately, the falling satellites aren’t being labeled as a danger to humans because they can burn up before hitting Earth.
