The peak of activity, which the Sun will reach this year, will probably be the mildest in the last 100 years, according to scientists from the American space agency NASA.
There are few sunspots, although our star is reaching the peak of its 11-year cycle of activity, the 24th in a row. Also, the radio waves that indicate high solar activity are very "quiet", the researchers announced, the "Space" portal reported.
"This is likely to be the lowest solar maximum, by sunspot count, in more than a century," wrote Joe Gurman, a scientist at NASA's Solar-Earth Relations Observatory (Stereo).
Although our knowledge of the Sun is still "in its infancy", scientists have made significant progress since the end of the eighties
The sun is "silent", scientists are watching it carefully - a strong eruption emitted in the direction of the Earth can damage the electrical grid, communication satellites, endanger astronauts on the International Space Station and more.
The progress of science
Although our knowledge of the Sun is still "in its infancy", scientists have made significant progress since the late XNUMXs, when a solar storm severely damaged the electricity grid in Quebec.
"Grid connectivity has grown tremendously since then, so compared to the frequency of grid failures due to trees falling on power lines during storms, it's unlikely to happen again," Gurman underlined.
The strongest solar storm, class X, can cause damage to Earth, the middle class M will cause auroras
Galileo Galilei was one of the first to notice sunspots, when he turned his telescope towards the Sun in 1610. Reliable data on sunspots dates back to 1849, when the Zurich Observatory began operating, "Space" reminds.
Sunspots look like dark spots on the Sun, and are usually found in groups above and below the equator. Scientists now know that these spots are formed due to the interaction between the sun's surface plasma and its magnetic field.
Under certain circumstances, the magnetic field near the spot causes huge explosions, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) occur. These charged particles travel from the Sun into space, and sometimes they are directed towards Earth, if the spot was facing us.
The strongest solar storm, class X, can cause damage to Earth, the middle class M will cause auroras, while the weaker classes, from C and below, have relatively little effect.
The "killer storm" is not going to happen
Scientists claim that it is impossible for the Sun to produce the "killer storm", which is popular among doomsday predictions.
Scientist Dean Pesnel, from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, points out that Earth is a very small target in the large solar system.
"We on Earth are completely protected from the direct influence of solar activity. The atmosphere protects us from electromagnetic radiation from eruptions and charged plasma particles," wrote astrophysicist Alex Young, from the Goddard Space Center.
“Killing eruptions will not happen. The Sun cannot produce a CME with enough energy to do so. It is physically impossible. That would require the entire energy of the Sun, like a supernova," he stated, adding that our Sun will not explode.
Scientist Dean Pesnel, from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, points out that the Earth is a very small target in the large solar system. He points out that the models for tracking CMEs through the solar system are still developing.
"Our biggest advantage is in models of the solar magnetic field and using data from those models to clarify the current state of the sun. Our models try to explain the 11-year behavior of the solar cycle as the magnetic field moves inside the Sun and then, suddenly, erupts on the surface and becomes a spot," said Pesnel.
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