Solar storms have influenced our history – an environmental historian explains how they could also threaten our future

Coronal mass ejections from the Sun can cause geomagnetic storms that may damage technology on Earth. NASA/GSFC/SDO

In May 2024, part of the Sun exploded.

The Sun is an immense ball of superheated gas called plasma. Because the plasma is conductive, magnetic fields loop out of the solar surface. Since different parts of the surface rotate at different speeds, the fields get tangled. Eventually, like rubber bands pulled too tight, they can snap – and that is what they did last year.