The Sun’s 11-Year Cycle: What is Solar Maximum? 🌞

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14 Jul 2023
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The Sun is not only the brightest star in our sky, but also the most dynamic one. It constantly changes its appearance and activity, following a pattern known as the solar cycle. The solar cycle is the cycle that the Sun’s magnetic field goes through approximately every 11 years.


What causes the solar cycle? 🔥

The Sun is a huge ball of electrically-charged hot gas. This charged gas moves, generating a powerful magnetic field. The Sun’s magnetic field is very complex and twisted, and it changes over time. The Sun’s north and south poles switch places every 11 years or so, causing the magnetic field to flip. This flip affects the activity on the surface of the Sun, such as sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections.


What are sunspots? 🌑

Sunspots are dark patches on the Sun’s surface that are cooler than the surrounding areas. They are caused by intense magnetic fields that prevent some of the heat from reaching the surface. Sunspots usually appear in groups and vary in size and number. They can last from days to months, and sometimes even longer.


Photo - Sunspot Numbers | Wikimedia Commons


What are solar flares and coronal mass ejections? 💥

Solar flares are sudden bursts of energy and radiation that occur when magnetic fields on the Sun’s surface snap and reconnect. They can release as much energy as a billion megatons of TNT in minutes or even seconds. Solar flares can affect radio communications and GPS signals on Earth, as well as harm satellites and astronauts in space.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are huge clouds of plasma and magnetic fields that are ejected from the Sun’s corona (the outermost layer of its atmosphere). They can travel at speeds of up to several million miles per hour and carry billions of tons of material. CMEs can cause geomagnetic storms on Earth, which can disrupt power grids, damage pipelines and create beautiful auroras (northern and southern lights).


What is solar minimum and solar maximum? 📈

One way to track the solar cycle is by counting the number of sunspots. The beginning of a solar cycle is a solar minimum, or when the Sun has the least sunspots. Over time, solar activity—and the number of sunspots—increases. The middle of the solar cycle is the solar maximum, or when the Sun has the most sunspots. As the cycle ends, it fades back to the solar minimum, and then a new cycle begins.

The average duration of a solar cycle is about 11 years, but it can vary from 9 to 14 years. Some cycles have maximums with lots of sunspots and activity, while others have very few sunspots and little activity. Scientists work hard to improve our ability to predict the strength and duration of solar cycles, which can help them forecast space weather conditions that can affect Earth and human activities.

The current solar cycle (Cycle 25) started in December 2019 and is expected to reach its peak around July 2025, with a smoothed sunspot number of about 66 (the lowest since records began in 1750). However, it could also occur between November 2024 and March 2026, depending on how the Sun behaves in the next few years.


Why should we care about the solar cycle? 🌎

The solar cycle affects not only the Sun but also our planet and our lives. The changes in the Sun’s activity can influence Earth’s climate, weather, atmosphere, biosphere, and technology.

📌For example:

  • The solar cycle affects the amount of solar radiation that reaches Earth, which can have small but measurable impacts on global temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, and sea level.
  • The solar cycle affects the intensity and frequency of space weather events, such as solar flares and CMEs, which can pose risks to satellites, power grids, communications systems, navigation systems, aviation, and human health.
  • The solar cycle affects the shape and size of Earth’s magnetosphere (the region of space around Earth that is influenced by its magnetic field), which can affect the number of cosmic rays (high-energy particles from outer space) that reach Earth’s surface and atmosphere, which can have effects on cloud formation, lightning, air quality, and human health.
  • The solar cycle affects the density and composition of Earth’s upper atmosphere (the thermosphere and the ionosphere), which can affect the drag and orbit of satellites, the re-entry of space debris, the propagation of radio waves, and the auroras.


How do we study the solar cycle? 🛰️

To study the solar cycle, we need to observe the Sun from different perspectives and wavelengths. We use a combination of ground-based telescopes, balloons, rockets, planes, and satellites to monitor the Sun’s activity and its effects on Earth and space.


📌Some of the current missions that are studying the solar cycle are:

  • The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), provides high-resolution images and measurements of the Sun’s magnetic field, sunspots, solar flares, and CMEs in multiple wavelengths.
  • The Parker Solar Probe (PSP), which is flying closer to the Sun than any previous spacecraft, explores the Sun’s corona and its origin, structure, evolution, and connection with the solar wind.
  • The Solar Orbiter (SO), which orbits the Sun at different inclinations, provides the first-ever images of the Sun’s poles and studies how the Sun creates and controls the heliosphere (the bubble of plasma and magnetic fields that surrounds the Sun and extends beyond the solar system).
  • The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), which is the largest solar telescope in the world, located in Hawaii, to study the Sun’s magnetic fields and their role in driving solar activity and space weather.


Conclusion 🙌

The Sun’s 11-year cycle is a fascinating phenomenon that reveals the dynamic nature of our star and its influence on our planet and our lives. By studying the solar cycle, we can learn more about the Sun’s secrets, improve our predictions of space weather, and prepare for its impacts on our technology and society.

📢What do you think will happen in the next solar maximum? How do you think it will affect you and your activities? Let us know in the comments! 💬


📚 Sources:





  • How Does the Solar Cycle Affect Earth's Climate? | NASA


📢 We hope you enjoyed this blog post and learned something new about Solar cycle. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. we'd love to hear from you !🙌


 

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