The Solar Cycle 25

 

The Solar Cycle 25


The changes in the sun’s magnetic field or aurora have been detected since the 17th century and are measured with respect to the appearance of dark spots on the sun. The changes are observed every 11 years as the levels of solar radiation, solar flares, and size and number of dark spots sync up. Currently, We Are In The 25th cycle of the solar cycle or commonly known as Cycle 25, in astrophysics. The current cycle began in December of 2019. The standard to measure the solar activity is relevant to the number of solar spots as the increased radiation activity increases with the greater number of spots. The maximum number of sunspots at any given cycle is called solar maximum, whereas the lowest one is called solar minimum.

 

As the solar flares and eruption on the sun vary with the solar cycle, it can also affect the weather and communication on the earth. For example, the solar bursts release a huge amount of radiation which could potentially affect the radio communication in the top atmosphere level. These solar flares are predicted by scientists after thorough research and can help greatly in preparing to avoid any unforeseen challenges in communication. It has also been found with the research that magnetic changes in the sun in due to a change or flip in the North and south pole, which happens approximately every 11 years. This pole reversing is due to the continuous internal movement of the sun core and thus causes changes on the surface, resulting in a continuously varying magnetic field. Although the changing pattern is unpredictable, it is expected that 2020 is the year for solar minimum and will give greater time to learn more about these patterns.

 

Figure 1 11 Years Cycle Span Of A Sun (Image Credit: NASA)

The dark spots are basically cooler gas spots and appear darker as compared to the surrounding when hot regions. In fact, these gases are not cold but have a lesser temperature which doesn’t allow the light to pass through the hand, thus resulting in a dark spot. These gases are a result of magnetic field changes and result in a huge amount of energy release, which is called Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and can drastically affect the space atmosphere as high-velocity hydrogen gas particles are released into space.

The researchers are putting in a lot of work to understand this phenomenon better as these changes can result in huge magnetic storms, thus affecting radio and satellite communication on earth and space stations. They can also result in blackout on solar station power grids, which then affects the navigation and communication errors and are expected to severely damage the astronauts during their space missions.

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