Solar storm 2013 to ignite as Sun’s magnetic field about to flip. Be ready to face a drastic change in climate, storms and disruption to the satellites as the Sun’s magnetic field is all set to undergo a massive flip of 180-degrees in the coming three to four months. The event that is a result of the solar event called Solar Maximum taking place once every 11 years during which the Sun’s inner magnetic dynamo re-organises itself. The event also holds importance as the reversal will mark the midpoint of Solar Cycle 24 which means that with half of “solar max” being over the other half is yet to come. Speaking about the event that would be taking place before the end of this year, solar physicist Todd Hoeksema of Stanford’s Wilcox Solar Observatory who have been studying the sun’s magnetic field since 1976, said: “It looks like we’re no more than three to four months away from a complete field reversal. This change will have ripple effects throughout the solar system. The Sun’s polar magnetic fields weaken, go to zero and then emerge again with the opposite polarity. This is a regular part of the solar cycle.” The reversal is considered to be a major event in the universe as the domain of the sun’s magnetic influence, also known as the “heliosphere”, goes billions of kilometres beyond Pluto and the changes to the field’s polarity move all the way out to the Voyager probes, on the doorstep of interstellar space. The entire process would also affect the cosmic rays, which are high-energy particles accelerated to nearly light speed by supernova explosions and other violent events in the galaxy. These rays pose a danger to the astronauts and space probes.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 06:14:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015