Sun spots, which led to solar flares and interrupted communications earlier this year, are appearing on the star again.
However, there is currently little likelihood of the spots flaring and causing issues with cellphone and radio communication.
Dr Pierre Cilliers, a research physicist with the Space Science Directorate of the South African National Space Agency, explains there were about 10 spots on Tuesday, but they were not in a position to cause issues.
Cilliers says the sun has calmed down from levels seen earlier this year, but is moving into a situation where spots could flare. However, he points out that the current spots are smaller than those seen earlier this year, which may mean flares have less of an impact.
Solar flares can temporarily alter the upper atmosphere, which creates disruptions to signal transmission from, for example, a GPS satellite to Earth, causing it to be off by many metres, explains the US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
“Another phenomenon produced by the sun could be even more disruptive. Known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), these solar explosions propel bursts of particles and electromagnetic fluctuations into Earth's atmosphere.
“Those fluctuations could induce electric fluctuations at ground level that could blow out transformers in power grids. The CME's particles can also collide with crucial electronics on board a satellite and disrupt its systems,” says the US agency.
Cilliers says the sun is approaching its solar maximum, which is expected to be in the middle of next year, which means the frequency of flares will increase, although the effect cannot yet be predicted.
Solar flares have been increasing since the start of the year, and communications were affected in January, March and April due to storms.
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