Sunspots, Which Can Harm Electronics on Earth, Are Half the Number Expected
Something is up with the sun.
Scientists
say that solar activity is stranger than in a century or more, with the
sun producing barely half the number of sunspots as expected and its
magnetic poles oddly out of sync.
The
sun generates immense magnetic fields as it spins. Sunspots—often
broader in diameter than Earth—mark areas of intense magnetic force that
brew disruptive solar storms. These storms may abruptly lash their
charged particles across millions of miles of space toward Earth, where
they can short-circuit satellites, smother cellular signals or damage
electrical systems.
Based on historical
records, astronomers say the sun this fall ought to be nearing the
explosive climax of its approximate 11-year cycle of activity—the
so-called solar maximum. But this peak is "a total punk," said
Jonathan Cirtain,
who works at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as
project scientist for the Japanese satellite Hinode, which maps solar
magnetic fields.
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