Could 19th century astronomer Richard Carrington tell us if our smartphones could be affected by solar flares?

Sunspot group AR1654 is a large one with strong magnetic fields and is a likely candidate for the emission of a strong flare. Will these possible flares and that from other sunspot groups during 2013 and 2014 affect the Earth’s atmosphere and do other damage on Earth? I spoke about this to Nicole Dyer on ABC Local Radio Queensland on Monday 7 January 2013. The recording for which I was honoured with the new title of ‘astronomist’ is here. Note that the new name for the profession is not a bad one and may just catch on since an ‘anatomist’ examines human and other animal bodies why shouldn’t someone who observes celestial bodies be called an ‘astronomist’?

What is a flare? A flare is an explosion on the Sun that is usually associated with regions of strong magnetic activity, that is, generally sunspot groups. Flares can result is the emission of strong radiation and sometimes also of charged particles. These days flare intensity is measured by satellites with their intensity classified on a scale that increases by a factor of 10 between classes: A, B, C, M and X. Each of these is subdivided into classes with the most intense flare recorded in recent times being one of X28 and possibly even higher on 28 October 2003.

[link to www.sydneyobservatory.com.au]