Scientists of the National Aeronautics and Space Studies (NASA) US Air National Directorate officially confirmed the beginning of the period of peak activity of the Sun within the 11-year cycle. This was reported on the website of the space agency.
The Sun has entered the phase of maximum activity, which will probably continue over the next year, representatives of NASA, National Ocean and Atmospheric Research (Noaa) and the International Sunny Cycle Prediction.
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“The solar cycle is a natural cycle that goes through the sun, moving from low to high magnetic activity. About every 11 years, at the height of the solar cycle, the magnetic poles of the sun change places – on Earth it would be equivalent to the fact that the north and The South Pole has changed places every decade – and the sun goes from a calm state to more active and turbulent, ”the specialists at a briefing explained.
NASA and Noaa employees track solar spots to determine and predict changes in the solar cycle and, ultimately, solar activity.
Astronomers determine solar spots in the form of dark (compared to their environment) spots. These are places on the surface of the Sun, where the power lines of the magnetic field crossing the surface come out of the body of the sun. The size of the solar spots can be several times superior to the Earth, and they are always darker, because their temperature is lower than the surrounding surface of the Sun.
“During the solar maximum, the number of solar spots, and therefore the level of solar activity, increases,” said Jamie Feivors, director of the space weather program at the NASA headquarters.
Researchers predict new solar and geomagnetic storms during the current sun maximum. This will lead to more frequent polar radiance and can cause malfunctions in the operation of communication systems and other technological infrastructure.
“The activity of the solar spots in the 25th solar cycle surpassed expectations a little. However, despite the fact that we saw several large storms, they are no more than we could expect during the maximum phase of the cycle,” said the co -chairman of the group forecasting the solar cycle Lisa Apton.
So, during the current solar maximum, outbreaks are still possible, which will lead to polar radiance and technological disorders.
In May 2024, a series of powerful outbreaks in the sun led to the strongest magnetic storm in two decades, which was accompanied by picturesque polar radiance – perhaps the largest over 500 years, the most powerful flash was assigned class X9.0.