Sun reaches solar maximum - NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on Tuesday that the Sun has entered the solar maximum period, which could last until 2025.

According to an article by the US space agency, a solar maximum is a point in the sun’s 11-year solar cycle where the flipping of its magnetic poles would cause it to enter an “active and stormy state.''

“During solar maximum, the number of sunspots, and therefore, the amount of solar activity, increases. This increase in activity provides an exciting opportunity to learn about our closest star — but also causes real effects at Earth and throughout our solar system,” said NASA Space Weather Program director Jamie Favors.

However, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) space weather operations director Elsayed Talaat clarified that a solar maximum does not mean the peak of solar activity.

“While the Sun has reached the solar maximum period, the month that solar activity peaks on the Sun will not be identified for months or years,” he said.

''NOAA anticipates additional solar and geomagnetic storms during the current solar maximum period, leading to opportunities to spot auroras over the next several months, as well as potential technology impacts. Additionally, though less frequent, scientists often see fairly significant storms during the declining phase of the solar cycle,'' NASA said.

NASA recorded an X9.0 flare, which was the most powerful so far of the current cycle, on October 3.

On May 11, the most powerful solar storm in over two decades struck Earth and triggered auroras seen from Tasmania to Britain, as well as possible disruptions to satellites and power grids.

It was declared an "extreme" geomagnetic storm, similar to the "Halloween Storms" of October 2003 that caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa.

Last week, a massive ball of plasma and accompanying magnetic field ejected from the Sun produced auroras.

''Solar cycles have been tracked by astronomers since Galileo first observed sunspots in the 1600s. Each solar cycle is different — some cycles peak for larger and shorter amounts of time, and others have smaller peaks that last longer,'' NASA said. — VBL, GMA Integrated News