Can solar flares and sunspots affect Earth?
To some degree. Solar flares and sunspots are the result of activity in the sun’s magnetic field and solar wind, which can cause increased aurora on Earth. They can also cause some disruptions of satellites in Earth orbit (outside the protection of the Earth’s magnetic field) and some electronic communications on Earth. But solar flares and sunspots can’t actually connect with the Earth (they never leave the sun itself).
Not directly. Flares and sunspots only occur on the surface of the Sun. Flares can trigger coronal mass ejections which, if pointed in exactly the right direction, can reach the Earth, causing aurora (northern and southern lights) but having very little other effects, except maybe two or three times a century.
