Solar cycle

Far from the crises of the planet, our Sun lived a fairly calm year. A closer look at its activity confirms what sun worshipers have been wary of for some time: Our nearest star has entered a new cycle of its life.

The sun

Since we started to seriously track dark sunspots, humans have observed a pattern of rest and activity that repeated about every 11 years. There have been 24 such cycles since sightings were first recorded in the mid-18th century.

The 25th cycle.

According to a statement released by a panel of experts from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and posted on the first website on September 15, December 2019 marks the start of the 25th session.

“We keep a detailed record of the few small sunspots that signal the start and emergence of a new cycle,” says Frederick Clitt, director of the World Data Center Sunspot Index and Long-term Solar Observations.

And he adds, according to a report from Science Alert, "These are the few promises of giant solar fireworks in the future. Only by following the general trend over several months will we be able to determine the turning point between the two. sessions. "

In practice, the differences in the behavior of the Sun make it impossible to define a new beginning until this beginning has passed. It took sifting through the solar activity data for the past eight months to make sure the past year was a boring calm.

Mechanisms behind the cycles.

Despite centuries of painstakingly recording eleven-year cycles, we still do not know the mechanisms behind these successful cycles. Star periodicity is very common in the universe, where you find a variety of thrilling objects that seem to ignite at intervals that you can almost set your clock.

The patterns of our sun are best determined by changes in their magnetic fields, which in turn are driven by complex currents of plasma flowing deep within it. Exactly what animates and attracts these currents in this rhythmic manner is the part we have to find out, but there is a temptation to associate it with a similar frequency in the orbits of the planets.

As NASA solar energy scientist Lika Gohatakurta says, “When we step out of the solar minimum and approach the 25th maximum, it is important to remember that solar activity never stops. changes when the pendulum swings. "

While the cycle of ups and downs occurs over an 11-year period, it more accurately represents a reflection of a larger 22-year cycle defined by the complete reversal of the sun's polarity. Every 11 years, the poles change and return to their place at the end of the next episode.

Worry-free monitoring.

Observing these changes can help us better predict space weather, which is largely driven by bursts of charged plasma and radiation that can explode fiercely in space, especially during peak solar periods.

It will take another 5 years or so before we can say that we are in the middle of the Sun's most aggressive phase. That's not to say we don't need attention right now.

We also need to keep an eye on whether or not Solar Cycle 25 will exhibit, even though it's unlikely to be explosive. Cycle 24 was relatively calm compared to the previous sessions, which were a bit stronger than usual.

“Just because it's a below-average solar cycle doesn't mean there's no risk of extreme space weather,” says Doug Bisker, committee co-chair, and heliophysics at the Space Weather Prediction Center. NOAA in Colorado.

He adds that "the impact of the sun on our daily life is real and there". But it helps to be realistic about what this effect is. Here on Earth, you are protected several miles from the atmosphere, and the solar cycles are barely noticeable.