The Sun is approaching the final years ahead of its solar maximum, or the apex of its 11-year cycle when its activity will peak and its poles will flip. Its wild activity has already been seen and felt on Earth. So what can we expect as its July 2025 maximum approaches?
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00:00The Sun is approaching the final years ahead of its solar maximum, or the apex of its 11-year cycle, when its activity will peak and its poles will flip.
00:13You've probably noticed a lot of news about our Solar System Center in recent months as well, as its wild activity has already been seen and felt on Earth.
00:21So what can we expect as its July 2025 maximum approaches? Well, a lot.
00:25Professor of Space Physics at the University of Reading, Dr. Matthew Owens tells Business Insider,
00:31We should expect more sunspots, which are places that are a bit cooler on the surface.
00:35But don't let that fool you. The only reason they are cooler is because that's where the sun's magnetic field lines have snapped and reconnected, sending massive solar flares out into space.
00:44In fact, this sunspot was recently captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
00:48That spot you're seeing is around the size of 30 Earths, and solar flares mean solar storms on our planet.
00:54That is, if we're in their path.
00:55As charged particles hit our ionosphere, strange things start to happen.
00:59Sometimes they simply cause beautiful auroras, which are expected to get bigger and brighter.
01:03But they can also mess with radio communications and GPS signals.
01:07Meaning as the sun gets more wild, we could see more flights grounded.
01:10What's more, geomagnetic storms can cause power outages, or even damage power grids and other technology long term.
01:17With scientists saying the last solar maximum we had was the weakest in 100 years.
01:21And technology today is far more pervasive than it was 22 years ago.