Solar cycles: everything we know about them and their direct influence on our lives

Last week a group of astrophysicists announced the end of solar cycle 24. This would not attract much attention if it were not for the fact that the start of solar cycle 25 was announced in December 2019. It is not that scientists have been wrong. As we will see later, it is just one example of how complex the operation of the system is. Sun.

Despite being watched and revered for millennia, our knowledge of the sun he’s still in diapers. , which have multiplied exponentially in the space age, thanks to orbiting instruments and space probes, described earlier on this page.

constant boiling

As we explained a few months ago, the Sun it is a huge sphere, and the weight of its materials creates such extreme pressure inside it that it fuses atoms. These, when combined and transformed into new elements, ignite and maintain a thermonuclear reaction that releases energy, giving light and heat to the solar system.

From inside, we would appreciate the constant changes. The currents of liquid metals, electrically charged gases (plasma) and the rotation of the star itself contribute to create electrical currents and magnetic fields in constant movement and interaction.

The solar cycles They mark highs and lows in the intensity of these currents. Like water in a pot Sun it appears to come to a boil, which manifests as bubbles on the surface. These are sunspots, visible with special equipment.

Sunspots are areas several times larger than our planet. Less bright compared to the rest of the sun surfaceThey last from days to months.

The plasma arcs that rise above the surface are called prominences. They are seen as huge filaments of light that go up and down connecting sunspots of opposite polarity at their ends (similar to the electric arc that occurs inside a fluorescent light tube).

“Solar cycles mark ups and downs in the intensity of these currents. Like water in a pot, the Sun seems to come to a boil.”

Irregular periodicity

The Sunspots they were noted by astronomers in China and Greece more than 2,000 years ago, but were only systematically studied about 250 years ago. , so today we speak of a twenty-fifth cycle.

It is surprising that the violent interactions of internal currents occur in relatively constant cycles of 11 to 15 years, after which the magnetic field of the Sun it is inverted If it was the Tierr, this would mean that the North Pole would become the South Pole, not on maps but in magnetic charge. Compasses would point south.

(the solar minimum) in which months can pass without a single spot. The spots multiply and begin to migrate towards the equator until they reach a solar maximum, the period of greatest activity, when dozens of spots can be counted. Then, with a different polarity, the spots migrate back towards high latitudes until they disappear.

The overlap of two cycles It is something that has been rarely seen. It has been postulated that the shorter the time between cycles, the more intense the new one. This cycle 25 will put this theory to the test.

great intensity

The processes that cause the spots and bumps are still poorly understood, much less the activity within the Sun. Thanks to scientific study we began to understand the solar cycles, and to generate theories.

Sun constantly emits energy in the form of light (electromagnetic waves) and thermonuclear reaction. The atmosphere filters much of the radiation, and the Earth’s magnetic field forms a shield and funnels charged particles toward the poles.

Occasionally the Sun it produces larger bulges that break apart, expelling huge amounts of plasma and energy into space. There are also bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections, in the form of gigantic bubbles that burst, launching a solar storm many times more intense than the everyday solar wind.

Speaking of space debris, we saw how a solar storm knocked down 40 Elon Musk satellites. This happened when a compression in the upper atmosphere deflected their trajectories. (causing spectacular aurora borealis and australis, but also capable of overloading power lines). The most intense ever recorded occurred in 1859, resulting in burned-out telegraphs and electrocuted operators. A similar one today could cause untold damage.

Currently, most electrical networks, satellites and electronic systems are designed anticipating possible impacts from solar storms, but it is impossible to avoid all the consequences. For this reason, the study of behavior of the sun it has an importance that goes beyond astronomical knowledge and theories. His contribution, it is not an exaggeration to say it, is contributing to the present and future well-being of our civilization.

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