Solar maximum

Scientists have recently predicted that the “Solar maximum” will take place between January and October 2024.

About the Solar Cycle:

• The Sun undergoes an approximately 11-year cycle of activity known as the solar cycle.
• This cycle is characterized by periods of increasing and decreasing solar activity.

About the Sunspots:

• The Sunspots are dark, cooler areas on the surface of the Sun caused by intense magnetic activity.
• They are associated with solar flares and other solar phenomena.

About the Solar maximum:

• TheSolar maximum is the phase of the solar cycle when solar activity is at its peak, that is characterized by an increased number of sunspots, solar flares, and other solar events.

Impact of the Solar maximum:

• It can lead to increased solar radiation and geomagnetic activity, which can impact satellites, power grids, and communication systems.
• It can lead to more intense space weather events, such as solar storms and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
  • CMEs are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun’s corona. 
  • Solar storm is a disturbance on the Sun, which can emanate outward across the heliosphere, affecting the entire Solar System.
  • These events can disrupt technology and infrastructure on Earth.
• It can also lead to the formation of auroras, which occurs when energetic particles being redirected toward Earth’s poles and colliding with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s atmosphere.

About the Solar Minimum:

• The Solar Minimum is the period in the solar cycle when sunspot activity is at its lowest.
• During this phase, the Sun is relatively calm with fewer sunspots and is engaged in lesser solar flaring activity.