- The Sun will reach its “solar maximum” in 2025
- This corresponds to the peak of activity of the Sun
- This event is very difficult to predict.
If the summer of 2022 seemed hot to you, it’s nothing compared to 2025. According to a recent NASA study, the Sun should reach its “solar maximum” that year. For a few months solar activity will be at its highest, causing some changes on Earth.
The Sun’s rays will be stronger and more intense. This should lead to a (slight) warming of the temperature on Earth. But it is in space that solar maximums could do the most damage.
By increasing its activity, the Sun gives off more radiation. These solar winds, which arrive via eruptions, have a considerable impact in space, especially for our satellites. They carry large electromagnetic discharges that can “fry” satellites and other communication devices. The astronauts present in the ISS could also undergo these radiations.
What is a solar maximum?
For all these reasons, the Sun’s activity is closely watched by scientists around the world. It follows an 11-year life cycle. At the heart of the latter, the Sun reaches its “maximum”, the moment of the cycle when it is most active. This production “peak” is often quite brief (a few months) and is characterized by the appearance of numerous brown spots on its surface.
While NASA has assured that the Sun begins a new cycle in 2020, it should reach its maximum in July 2025. It would then have more than 110 spots on its surface compared to around twenty today. These spots appear when the temperature suddenly drops at a point. If an area of the Sun loses a third of its heat, then it will seem 80% dimmer to us than the rest, giving the illusion of “spots”, like moles.
How do you know when the next solar maximum will be?
Predicting solar maximums is hard work. At the turn of the century, the US space agency announced that the next 20 to 30 years would be remarkably quiet. Cycles 23 (1996-2008) and 24 (2009-2020) were particularly difficult, but this should not be the case for this 25th cycle that we are entering (2020-2031).
During its history, the Sun has also experienced strong periods of activity. The most famous remains the upturn in the year 1000. At that time, the temperature on Earth was 2 to 3°C higher than what we know today. This “medieval climatic optimum” would have been caused by an abnormal activity of the Sun.
Thus, predicting the activity of the Sun is a complex task. Scientists are trying to analyze the behavior of our star to find predetermining signs. But for now, scientists are unable to produce precise solar weather forecasts over the long term. See you in 2025 to discover the level of activity of the Sun.
