Fears are rising that intense solar storms could strike Earth after Nasa warned the Sun has started to "wake up".
The space agency disclosed that our star's activity levels had been winding down for two decades until around 2008.
Since then, researchers have revealed that the strength of the Sun's solar winds has increased, with a ramping up of speed, temperature and density.
There are fears that the charged-up activity could send waves of severe solar storms hurtling towards Earth, which may wreak havoc on humanity.
There are fears that the charged up activity could send waves of severe solar storms hurtling towards Earth
|GETTY
Major solar storms could cause Earth's technology-dependent infrastructure to collapse almost immediately, with communication blackouts, power grid meltdowns and heavy disruption to navigation systems.
Despite the exact strength and timing of the potential storms remaining unknown, scientists had indicated they could occur more often as the Sun enters its 11-year cycle peak this year.
A leading researcher from Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Jamie Jasinski, said: "All signs were pointing to the sun going into a prolonged phase of low activity.
"So it was a surprise to see that trend reversed. The sun is slowly waking up."
Major solar storms could cause Earth's technology-dependant infrastructure to collapse almost immediately
| REUTERSMr Jasinksi's team of researchers noticed the trend after examining data from Nasa's OMNIWeb Plus platform.
Last year, scientists uncovered five "solar superstorms" which have battered Earth in the past.
One of the strongest to ever hit the planet came in 1859, which caused telegraph systems stretching between Europe and America to melt down and catch fire.
The other extreme events took place in 993 AD, 660 BC, 5259 BC and 7176 BC.
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Scientists were able to identify the past solar storms by examining tree rings
|GETTY
Scientists were able to identify the past solar storms by examining tree rings.
As radiocarbon levels spike after the cosmic event takes place, a "fingerprint" is left inside the trees as they soak up the carbon dioxide.
A higher frequency of solar storms could pose a significant risk to spacecrafts and satellites in the near future.
Elon Musk's Starlink satellite was hit by a heavy geometric strong on Sunday night, causing widespread internet outages for millions of users.
The outage caused chaos for the Ukrainian military forces, which are heavily reliant on Starlink to carry out battlefield operations.
Previous cycles of increased activity from the Sun following quiet periods have been recorded in the past.
One of the star's calmest periods in recorded history came between 1790 and 1830, before ramping up again.
Mr Jasinski said: "We don't really know why the sun went through a 40-year minimum.
"The longer-term trends are a lot less predictable and are something we don't completely understand yet."