Sun’s Magnetic Field is on the brink of doing a 180 degree flip according to NASA.
According to NASA-supported observations , the complete reversal is expected to take place in the coming months.
Todd Hoeksema of Stanford University stated the following:
“It looks like we’re no more than 3 to 4 months away from a complete field reversal. This change will have ripple effects throughout the solar system.”
NASA reported that the sun’s magnetic field changes polarity approximately every 11 years.
This switch happens at the peak of each solar cycle a the suns inner magnetic dynamo re-organizes itself.
“The coming reversal will mark the midpoint of Solar Cycle 24. Half of ‘Solar Max’ will be behind us, with half yet to come.”
Solar physicist Phil Scherrer, also at Stanford, describes what happens:
“The sun’s polar magnetic fields weaken, go to zero, and then emerge again with the opposite polarity. This is a regular part of the solar cycle.”
So is this polarity change something that we should all be worried about?
According to the Huffington Post , the answer is no. The report stated the following:
“The change in polarity will have certain effects throughout the heliosphere — the sun’s domain, which extends well beyond Pluto — but, as NASA notes in its ScienceCasts video, one of the largest effects Earth can expect is some stormy space weather around the planet. Astronauts in orbit may also see some changes in cosmic rays, which could be a potential danger.”
The report continued on to say that the 11-year cycle governs the level of solar activity on the sun.
“This year, during the peak of the cycle when solar activity is the strongest, the flip will be accompanied by increased levels of turbulence, such as sunspots.
“However, as solar physicists have pointed out, 2013’s cycle peak has turned out to be one of the weakest observed in the past century, with relatively minimal activity.”
NASA goes on to that this is a big event, and as the field reversal approaches, data from Stanford’s Wilcox Solar Observatory shows that the sun’s two hemispheres are out of synch.
“The sun’s north pole has already changed sign, while the south pole is racing to catch up,” says Scherrer. “Soon, however, both poles will be reversed, and the second half of Solar Max will be underway.”
Want more details on the sun’s magnetic field flip? Make sure to check out the video above and visit NASA Science News.
[Image via Shutterstock/ nexus 7 ]
