How do sunspots and solar flares impact earth?

Answer 1

It is called a magnetic storm. What happens is during solar flares, sun throws out some high energy particles, and at speed that take a few hours sometimes to reach earth.

Earth, thank God, has a magnetic field and this is what protects us all. Mars does not have this any more for example. Northern and Southern lights are cause by the particles reacting with rarefied gasses in the very upper reaches of the atmosphere, and depending of the gas, nitrogen, oxygen, etc., they produce the colors.

High altitudes, as satellite and high flying aircraft, it can destroy electronic equipment by the currents they can produce. It is also not good for astronauts, and pilots that stay at high altitudes for extended periods and when a solar storm approaches, they protect themselves in special shielded areas of the ISS. High altitude jets are usually flown at much lower altitudes if a severe solar storm will hit the earth. Main impact on earth is the power grid, as they do cause current leakage and can cause complete blackouts which have happened in the past.

Solar flares (normally exit at cool areas on the sun as sunspots) do impact the earth if the earth happens to be in the direction of the solar storm. Solar storms are very directional and do not go out in all directions as the sun´s light.