Sun blast! Multiple solar storms hit Earth; Bigger ones coming, says NASA

tech.hindustantimes.com:

In the previous week, US agencies NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have warned against solar storm strikes on Earth almost every day of the week. This was not just a one-week affair either. Solar storms or geomagnetic storms have become a common affair for the last two months. In February, SpaceX lost 40 Starlink satellites due to a strong solar storm. In the month of April, we have witnessed at least 3 separate incidents where solar activity led to radio blackouts in different regions. Not only is the development concerning, there is a bigger question at play here – will the wrath of the Sun get worse in future? Read on to find out.

Solar cycles explain a lot about the ongoing intense solar activity. A solar cycle or solar magnetic activity cycle is an 11-year period where the Sun's activity measured in terms of variations in the number of observed sunspots on the solar surface. The 11-year period marks two extreme points called solar maximum and solar minimum, the point of highest activity and lowest activity respectively.

We are currently in the solar cycle 25, which began in December 2019. According to various models and predictions by scientists, this cycle will enter the peak of solar maximum in April 2024. Solar maximum is when the Sun has the highest number of sunspots (active areas of solar flares). These sunspots is what sends these vicious solar storms towards the Earth. Based on current trends, it is predicted that at its peak, the Sun will have around 125 active sunspots. For reference, that is more than the 115 sunspots visible at the peak of cycle 24. If these predictions are to be trusted, then it seems things are going to get worse for Earth this time around.

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