The sun's activity cycle is reaching its peak early—knowing why could help us unlock the secrets of our star

. But it now looks as if this"solar maximum" will arrive earlier than expected. This finding could lead to a better understanding of our host star.

What's interesting is that many prediction methods rely on timing the length of a cycle measured by the minimum of solar activity. But Leamon and McIntosh looked in more depth at the actual sunspots and their magnetic properties. When a solar cycle ends, it is not instantaneous. It is a gentle transition where fewer sunspots appear withThis current prediction uses the terminator—the time when the very last sunspot of the old cycle has faded—to indicate the end of that solar cycle.

Our society is constantly developing in ways that make us more reliant on electrical infrastructure. We are also expanding our technology into space—technology which is vulnerable if we don't monitor space weather and its source, the sun. If we know what's coming, we can prepare. Electrical grids are being designed to be less prone to power surges and satellites are being designed to better ride out space weather.: retrieved 26 October 2023 from https://phys.

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