Our sun has begun a new 25-year cycle, scientists said Wednesday. They predict a period of more sunspots and eruptions.
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Over the past nine months, our star’s activity has been increasing as it emerged from a period of minimal activity, say experts at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. The sun alternates eleven-year periods of higher and lower activity. It was least active in December last year. According to German scientists, the new cycle would be “as tame” as the previous one. The most active period will be between November 2024 and March 2026.
What happens on the surface of our star also affects our planet. “In phases of strong activity, tremendous bursts of particles and radiation can also make themselves felt on Earth,” said Robert Cameron of the MPS. In the worst case, storms on the sun can knock out technical systems such as satellites. Astronauts can also suffer.
The new cycle is the 25th since reliable observations of our star began.
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