Solar storm alert! The sun is heading for its highest volatility peak – here’s why that could be good for some people on Earth | Science news

Extremely strong solar storms can be very dangerous, but anyone who enjoys observing the northern lights with the naked eye will probably welcome the next solar storm.

When the sun reaches the peak of its solar cycle, space weather researchers are very excited about solar storms. (Image: NASA)

The 11-year solar cycle is inexorably approaching its peak and the effects were felt here on Earth on May 10, 2024, when the solar storm generated at that time was so powerful that it broke records. Thankfully, no damage was reported except for the creation of some fabulous auroras across the entire Northern Hemisphere, surprisingly reaching as far as South Asia – these mesmerizing “Northern Lights” were even seen in Ladakh! The explosive release of energy in the form of solar storms creates geomagnetic storms when they hit the Earth’s magnetic field, setting off a chain of events, including auroras. Before you breathe a sigh of relief that it’s all over, know that the Sun has not yet reached the peak of its activity. In fact, the region on the Sun that triggered this massive solar storm is still active and some space weather agencies have issued warnings. Importantly, more such unstable regions on the Sun will be created during this solar cycle.

Although the danger element is very high (these storms can destroy technical infrastructure on Earth and in space, including power grids, satellites, Internet, radio communications, GPS, even gas fields and much more), some enthusiastic space watchers will see this enormous volatility as a great opportunity to see auroras with the naked eye and not in photos and videos. In particular, these storms will not directly affect people unless they are astronauts without proper protection or flying around in aircraft at very high altitudes.

Predicting solar storms

When the Sun reaches the peak of its solar cycle, researchers very often think about solar storm warnings. Ian Whittaker writes on phys.org that the sun is reaching its peak of activity and this will trigger more solar storms and thus auroras. As an example of the recent increase in auroras in regions of the Earth where these fascinating lights were previously barely visible, Whittaker said: “The sun is reaching its peak activity point in an 11-year cycle. This means we can expect more explosive particle emissions. Under the right circumstances, these are what ultimately create the beautiful auroras in the sky, as well as the geomagnetic storms that can damage infrastructure, such as Power grids and orbiting satellites.”