NASA | The Next Solar Cycle May Have Started

The sun cycles is a serious matter when it comes to earth and space. For earth it can have a big effect on our upper atmosphere and ionosphere. The suns ultraviolet rays are stongest during solar storms. Nasa keeps a close eye on the sun. The spacestation and satellites are deeply effected by the sun. Some have to be shut down when big solar flares shoot towards earth.



The graph above is showing the peak of sun cycke #24 right around 2012. This date is showing up everywhere. Get the sun screen out folks.



Amazing how small we are compared to a sun flare. Thankfully we have our magnetic shield to protect us from the brunt of them.


Why we Study The Sun

Here's the latest image of the sun taken by SOHO Hinode X-ray.



Right now the Sun is at it's minimum and sunspots are all but visible. It's like the quiet before the storm. Now all we can do is wait and watch as #24 comes, peaks and hopefully we come through it alive.

Source
Source

Edit to show source of pics.

[edit on 12/15/2007 by Solarskye]

[edit on 12/15/2007 by Solarskye]

reply to post by infinite

You might want to watch how big phone and communicatons company stocks respond to this news. If people really think there's danger, you'll see those stocks falling...

Question to anyone who can answer: does the fact that sunspot magnetic polarity reverses every cycle (I think that's what the article said) mean that the sun's magnetic field as a whole reverses every cycle? A 'pole shift' every 11 years?

reply to post by Astyanax


The magnetic poles flip at the solar maximum. Which has already happened. The next flip is 2012. There's that date again. I really think 2012 is just another date that will pass by and we'll all be asking the question " What was the big fuss about". I hope I'm right, but you never know?

The Sun's magnetic north pole, which was in the northern hemisphere just a few months ago, now points south. It's a topsy-turvy situation, but not an unexpected one.

"This always happens around the time of solar maximum," says David Hathaway, a solar physicist at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "The magnetic poles exchange places at the peak of the sunspot cycle. In fact, it's a good indication that Solar Max is really here."

The Sun Does A Flip

Edit to add that the Solar Cycle isn't every 11 years. It changes and can be 9 to 14 years.

[edit on 12/15/2007 by Solarskye]

Great Post, I have been following this for awhile, what really intrigues me . . . is that the last storm of this magnitude in the late 1950's we had very few satellites, image what would happen if we have solar storms like the late 50's or even worst get a storm like the 1859 storm!

The 1859 storm is a very interesting event, it has been described as the "perfect solar storm" here are some links below to read:

Space.com

Nasa.gov

theage.com

reply to post by Solarskye


Thanks. That link was a good read. I had not fully understood just how far reaching this solar "flip" was.

The question I'm left with is one of how a particularly strong or violent reversal might interact with the Earths own magnetic field? Could the "shockwave" (for want of a better word) trigger some sympathetic reaction on a relatively nearby planet such as our own?

I suppose these are the very questions scientists are asking.

I was reading somewhere that it would take 8 hours for a solar magnetic storm to reach the planet. Magnetic storms, as mentioned, aren't good for electronics, but I also watched a discovery channel special that said that cars wouldn't be able to work either. The programme also mentioned that you would see northern lights in the sky in places that it shouldn't be like california. After seeing that, the sky would be set ablaze. This is only the worst case scenario if our sun's next cycle is going to be fierce. I don't know if there is anything we could do about it but burn unfortunately

I think I shall watch the skies on the 23rd.

I also should pay attention to things. I read something the other day about Mars and coming to the local college to view it and I remember checking to see when our next full Moon was, why???? but the next full Moon is on the 23rd. hmmmm.

reply to post by NGC2736


I'd like to know that answer too! How strong is our magnetic field and can it protect us in a solar flip of high magnitude. This is an interesting read that says a new radiation belt was created when a huge solar storm sent a shockwave hitting the earth in 1991. Nothing like that has happened since 1962 when we exploded the H-bomb.

Birth Of A Radiation Belt

The Magnetic Sun

Originally posted by Solarskye
This is an interesting read that says a new radiation belt was created when a huge solar storm sent a shockwave hitting the earth in 1991. Nothing like that has happened since 1962 when we exploded the H-bomb.

I was young then, but I remember something happening with the sun. I couldn't give you the exact date, but with my moms help, I was able to pin point it down to the year 1991. My older sister remembers it too. After leaving a public recreation center, my sister and I both looked up at the sky, and we saw the sun but it didn't hurt our eyes. Our neighbors were standing next to us and they were the same age as my sister and I , and they saw it too. The sun looked very squiggly and a brownish orange. It was so strange. My sister and I couldn't stop staring at it.

reply to post by leira7


Wow that's wild. I can't remember what I was doing March of 1991. But I do remember hearing on the news about the satellites not working right or something. I should of looked up at the sun but didn't. I will from now on though!

quote]Originally posted by mythatsabigprobe

Crop Circles were first created by drunken students in the UK. There's every indication that they are still created by drunken youths with too much time on their hands and 'interpreted' by pseudo scientists with no credentials and no other hope to gain recognition in their lives.

I don't want to turn this into a crop circle debate, but this language irritates me. for one, the human made crop circles most definitely are not created by "drunk people" and two I would like to see college students make 1000 foot long perfect crop circles with electro magnetic fields, in less than 2 hours.
www.youtube.com...

Do you have even a little proof that it was a.) created in two hours, b.) not capable of being created by people (many people with many boards and many strings), c.) has a magnetic field that's any different from the surrounding field?

Thanks.

reply to post by Project_Exo


Why is there paths going to the crop circle? I see a couple paths there. Were the paths there when the crop circle was made or after?

Back on topic, when I said I'll be looking up at the sun from now on, I did mean with eye protection. Please don't look without that. I'm sure most of you know that, but just in case.

Its solar storms IE flares that we are worried about. If they are of the right polarity ( not the suns ) then they are not bad but if they are negative in polarity they do damage. We have one satellite that can read the polarity and it don't give us much time to shut the grids down to save the power transformers. A large flare in the high X class could take down the grid for ten years.
The galactic alignment happens in 2012 not this year. NASA must be trying to fool everyone that don't know much about the subject. If you take the end of Hanukkah and add the number of days Jesus said that he would set up his thrown in Jerusalem after that, Only in 2012 you have the same date for the end that the Mayans did for the cycle. Interesting Isn't it.

reply to post by mythatsabigprobe


mythatsabigprobe

First of all I would like to say that I really like your avatar.

Second of all, I am not going to blow this up into a big argument. So I am just going to say that I respect your view and opinion and move on.

However, I know for a fact that your view and opinion is based on very little information that you have picked up on about things and that you have not bothered to really look into anything. Don't try to deny it either because I know, this is the way it works with 95% of the worlds population.

Well at least you replied to my post it shows that someone is listening.

reply to post by mythatsabigprobe


did you even watch the video I linked, that is part one of 4. If you watch the rest of them it will show the researchers walking in to the virgin crop circle with no paths into it. If you need more proof you should watch
this
video.google.com...
and this
video.google.com...

According to this article, we still have a few more years before we start to see these effects, so don't jump into your radiation bunkers just yet.

Shows what your know. TO THE RADIATION BUNKERS!!

A very cool video of the Sun and earth magnetic fields.



Earthfiles talking about Solar cycle # 24



I feel that cycles change and can't be precisely predicted. We can only wait and see if the next cycle #24 will be bigger or smaller than others. Just because some predict it doesn't mean it's fact. But I'll keep watching the skies and we'll see what happens when 2012 and beyond comes around.

The Sun at 19.5nm
sacred geometry is everywhere in the universe
video.google.com...

video.google.com...

[edit on 15-12-2007 by Project_Exo]

I promised a big thumbs up, and here it is!

Astrither
mythatsabigprobe
Solarskye
Mel1962
Project_Exo

Thanks for the great posts! Great and interesting information!

[edit on 12/15/2007 by damajikninja]