Sun To Reach Solar Maximum In 2 Years, May Lead To “Internet Apocalypse”

Subject: Science and technology

Section :Space technology

Context:

The Sun will reach “solar maximum” – a particularly active period – in 2025 and today’s digital world is not prepared for it.

About Solar Maximum:

The sun goes through a natural solar cycle approximately every 11 years. The cycle is marked by the increase and decrease of sunspots– visible as dark blemishes on the sun’s surface, or photosphere.
The greatest number of sunspots in any given solar cycle is designated as “solar maximum.” The lowest number is “solar minimum.”
Impacts:
- This increased solar activity can cause extreme space weather events, including solar flares and eruptions.
- It can also disrupt radio communications and the power grid and have serious health consequences for astronauts.
- A strong solar storm could hit Earth – a rare event that has not happened in the interconnected world so far – causing widespread internet outages.

What is the Solar Cycle?

The Sun is a huge ball of electrically-charged hot gas. This charged gas moves, generating a powerful magnetic field.
Every 11 years or so, the Sun’s magnetic field completely flips. This means that the Sun’s north and south poles switch places.
Then it takes about another 11 years for the Sun’s north and south poles to flip back again.
Thus, the solar cycle is the cycle that the Sun’s magnetic field goes through approximately every 11 years.
The solar cycle affects activity on the surface of the Sun, such as sunspots which are caused by the Sun’s magnetic fields.
As the magnetic fields change, so does the amount of activity on the Sun’s surface.
The beginning of a solar cycle is a solar minimum, or when the Sun has the least sunspots. Over time, solar activity—and the number of sunspots—increases.
The middle of the solar cycle is the solar maximum, or when the Sun has the most sunspots.
As the cycle ends, it fades back to the solar minimum and then a new cycle begins.