You may have heard about the report from NASA where they have designed a computer model to predict solar storms. Solar storms are caused by solar material that the sun gives off hitting the magnetosphere (the magnetic area around the earth). These solar storms can cause problems with electronics and other electricity-based objects.
The largest recorded solar storm in 1859 has become known as the Carrington Event, named after scientist Richard Carrington who observed and documented the sunspots that caused the event. The storm hit the next day and caused sparks in the telegraph lines and lit telegraph papers on fire. There was so much electricity in the air that once the telegraphs were unplugged messages could still be sent over the lines. Back then electricity wasn't as integrated into our lives as it is today, so if another Carrington-level event were to occur there would be some major issues now.
Warning when solar storms, like the Carrington Event or even the 1989 solar storm that caused a 9-hour power outage for 6 million people, can protect the power grid and our day-to-day life. The new computer model DAGGER (Deep Learning Geomagnetic Perturbation) uses data from previous solar storms and the measurements of solar wind. Using the DAGGER AI predictions with 30-minute warnings are now possible. This would give time to safeguard electronic items so they don't get damaged.
To learn more about the sun and solar flares NASA sent the Parker solar probe to touch the sun in 2018. To learn more about the Parker solar probe, which just recently reached the atmosphere of the sun, see the video below.
