According to Indian researchers’ calculations, the current 25th solar cycle may reach its peak at the beginning of 2024, and users of terrestrial communications systems may also feel this.

The sun’s activity can be divided into cycles. Our central star is currently going through its 25th cycle since observations began, which began in December 2019. Since such a cycle – with a rising period, a peak and a falling period – lasts for 11 years, experts believe that its current peak is expected at the beginning of 2024, writes Interesting geometry.

Solar cycles are determined by the number and intensity of sunspots and solar flares. The more sunspots, the more active the star and the more solar flares you can expect.

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It is believed that the current twenty-fifth session is a weak session. However, researchers at the Indian IISER have discovered a link between the Sun’s magnetic field and the solar cycle, suggesting that we can expect very intense activity from our star in the coming year. The thesis about this is a Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society It was published in the scientific journal

The researchers reached this conclusion based on data recorded by ground telescopes over several decades. If their calculations are accurate, they may support the assumption that sunspots are actually triggers of solar activity, rather than its results.

This is suggested by the theory known as the Waldmeier effect, according to which the increase and decrease in the number of sunspots during the solar cycle is asymmetrical. According to them, the celestial body reaches the peak of the solar cycle slowly and with continuous growth, while it reaches the minimum quickly and suddenly.

The causes of the Waldmaier effect are not yet known, but it is likely that this phenomenon has something to do with changes in the Sun’s magnetic fields.

Regarding solar activity, they warned that flares could affect the Earth’s magnetosphere, ionosphere and upper atmosphere, as well as disrupt radio communications and GPS systems.

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