The sun has been moving, and we can finally confirm the reason why. NASA announced that our host star has officially entered the most active period in its cycle, creating a stormy space weather that may continue until next year.
NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the International Committee for Solar Cycle Prediction confirmed on Tuesday that the sun has reached its solar maximum, a period of increased solar activity that often affects Earth. The sun goes through an 11-year cycle, where its magnetic poles swap places every decade, leading it from being a quiet star to releasing fiery streams of charged particles into the surrounding space.
A team of scientists from NASA and NOAA determined that the past two years are part of the active phase of the current solar cycle, and that the sun’s peak solar energy will continue for another year or so before its activity begins to decline.
Based on the sun’s behavior in recent months, scientists already predicted that the star was in a period of increasing activity. In May, Earth experienced its largest geomagnetic storm in two decades after the sun ejected a large number of charged particles towards our planet. A few months later, another severe geomagnetic storm surprised scientists, leading to the appearance of bright and colorful auroras in different parts of the world in August. More recently, the sun unleashed another burst of material towards us, causing a severe geomagnetic storm on October 11.
The recent storm preceded the strongest solar flare in the current solar cycle 25, as a sunspot region released a flare of X9.0. Solar flares, which are large bursts of electromagnetic radiation from the sun, are classified according to their strength, ranging from class B (weakest) to class X (strongest).
Solar flares usually occur near sunspots, which are concentrated areas that appear on the sun’s surface indicating a focus of magnetic field lines. Scientists use sunspots to measure solar activity and determine the progress of the sun’s solar cycle.
Jimmy Favors, director of NASA’s Space Weather Program, said in a statement: “During solar maximum, the number of sunspots increases, and thus solar activity does as well.” “This increase in activity provides an exciting opportunity to study our closest star – but it also has real effects on Earth and throughout our solar system.”
Earth could be on the receiving end of the sun’s wrath. The increasing solar activity affects space weather, which in turn impacts space travelers, satellites in orbit, communication and navigation systems such as radio and GPS, as well as power grids on Earth, according to NASA.
The recent NASA announcement also warned that the sun is not done yet. Mr. Talat, director of space weather operations at NOAA, said in a statement: “This announcement does not mean this is the solar activity peak, but we will see this solar cycle.” “While the sun has reached its solar peak period, the month in which solar activity reaches its peak on the sun will not be determined for months or years.”
NOAA expects more solar and geomagnetic storms during the current solar maximum of cycle 25, which may lead to more beautiful auroras, but also some disruptions to our precious technology.
Compared to other solar cycles, cycle 25 is exceptionally active. The sun has developed the largest number of sunspots since 2002, according to NOAA. Lisa Upton, chair of the Solar Cycle Prediction Committee and chief scientist at the Space Weather Prediction Center in San Antonio, Texas, said in a statement: “Sunspot activity in solar cycle 25 has slightly exceeded expectations.” “However, despite seeing some large storms, they are not larger than what we might expect during the peak phase of the cycle.”
We have not seen the last part of cycle 25 yet, so be cautious but also enjoy the beautiful colors in the sky.
