WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In a teleconference with reporters on Tuesday, representatives from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the international Solar Cycle Prediction Panel announced that the Sun has reached its solar maximum period, which could continue for the next year.
The solar cycle is a natural cycle the Sun goes through as it transitions between low and high magnetic activity. Roughly every 11 years, at the height of the solar cycle, the Sun's magnetic poles flip on Earth, like the North and South poles swapping places every decade - and the Sun transitions from being calm to an active and stormy state.
NASA and NOAA track sunspots to determine and predict the progress of the solar cycle - and ultimately, solar activity. Sunspots are cooler regions on the Sun caused by a concentration of magnetic field lines. Sunspots are the visible component of active regions, areas of intense and complex magnetic fields on the Sun that are the source of solar eruptions.
'During solar maximum, the number of sunspots, and therefore, the amount of solar activity, increases,' said Jamie Favors, director, Space Weather Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 'This increase in activity provides an exciting opportunity to learn about our closest star - but also causes real effects at Earth and throughout our solar system.'
Solar activity strongly influences conditions in space known as space weather. This can affect satellites and astronauts in space, as well as communications and navigation systems - such as radio and GPS - and power grids on Earth. When the Sun is most active, space weather events become more frequent. Solar activity has led to increased aurora visibility and impacts on satellites and infrastructure in recent months.
Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2024 AFX News
