Dangerous peak in Sun’s activity ‘coming sooner than expected’

A dangerous peak in the sun's activity is coming “sooner than expected” it is believed.

Every decade or so, the sun will experience different levels of solar activity – all of which is associated with the number of sunspots on its surface.

These dark regions, some of which can reach the size of Earth or larger, are driven by the sun’s magnetic fields.

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Now, as the sun nears the peak of its current cycle, known as Solar Cycle 25, our star is said to be growing increasingly active, as reported by CNN.

Initially, peak activity was forecast to begin in 2025 but now experts claim the peak is more likely to take place in mid-to-late 2024.

Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center in America have already tracked more sunspots than those counted at the peak of the previous cycle.

Mark Miesch, research scientist at the Space Weather Prediction Center, told CNN: “No two solar cycles are the same. This solar maximum is the space weather equivalent of hurricane season.

"It’s when we see the biggest storms. But unlike hurricane season, which lasts a few months, solar maximum lasts a few years.”

Solar storms generated by the sun can impact the likes of electric power grids, GPS and aviation, and satellites in low-Earth orbit.

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The events can also cause radio blackouts and interfere with crewed space missions.

A well-known example happened in 2022 which saw Earth’s outer atmosphere to heat and expand. This expansion caused 38 of the 49 Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX to burn up.

The new predictions for solar maximum were led by Scott McIntosh, deputy director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and Robert Leamon, an associate research scientist at the Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute, along with their collaborators.

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