NASA scientists confirm that the Sun has officially reached its peak activity. And that this activity could continue over the next 12 months. It could thus disrupt GPS satellites orbiting the Earth.
“Every 11 years, the Sun transforms into a chaotic ball that projects enormous amounts of energy toward Earth. A period known as “peak solar activity”, experts announce.
Scientists said it could also disrupt the Internet and GPS satellites orbiting Earth. With a breakdown that could last weeks, according to a report published on October 17, 2024 by the British newspaper Daily Mail.
So while the chances of seeing an aurora will increase, so will the likelihood of a global internet outage.
In a conference call, NASA and the Solar Cycle Prediction Committee confirmed that the Sun has reached its peak period, which could extend into next year.
During this solar peak, the most powerful forms of space weather, commonly called “solar storms,” are expected to occur. Fortunately, these solar storms are not dangerous for humans. However, they can affect satellites in orbit as well as power grids on Earth.
There is a high probability of seeing more northern lights, such as the G4 geomagnetic storm which produced global auroras on October 10-11 and the G5 geomagnetic storm on May 10-11, which is the more intense of the latter two decades, and perhaps for 500 years.
Solar storms result from energy emanating from the Sun, a 4.5 billion-year-old yellow dwarf star orbiting about 93 million miles from Earth at the center of our solar system.
The sudden explosion of particles, energy and magnetic fields can cause a disruption in the Earth’s magnetic field, which protects the planet’s surface from harmful influences, according to the US agency.
Although the Sun’s magnetic activity waxes and wanes over a period of about 11 years, the current Solar Cycle 25, which began in 2019, appears shorter than that. This means that peak solar activity will likely last longer than usual and likely produce frequent and powerful geomagnetic storms through 2026.
