Every 11 years, our sun becomes a chaotic sphere that shoots out huge bursts of energy towards Earth – a period known as the ‘solar maximum’.
These energy bursts are responsible for the stunning Northern Light displays we’ve been treated to in recent months.
However, they can also disrupt internet and GPS satellites orbiting Earth – with blackouts for weeks.
Unfortunately, scientists have confirmed that solar maximum has officially arrived, and it could continue for the next 12 months.
So while opportunities to see the aurora will ramp up, so will the chance of a global internet blackout.
In a teleconference this, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel confirmed that the sun has reached its solar maximum period, which could continue for the next year.
‘During solar maximum, the number of sunspots, and therefore, the amount of solar activity, increases,’ said Jamie Favors, director of NASA’s space weather programme.
The Simpsons predicted a solar storm that could possibly "wipe out the internet" in 2024!
🔗 THE WHITE RABBIT 👁 (https://t.co/wv5NwsfWg0 pic.twitter.com/1EW7TVo9iA
— nikola 3 (@ronin19217435) February 16, 2024
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13970297/urgent-warning-solar-storms-nasa.html
Urgent warning over intense solar storms strong enough to cripple the world's internet for WEEKS – as NASA confirms we've hit the explosive peak in the sun's 11-year cycle
Scientists have confirmed that solar maximum has officially arrived, and it could continue for the next 12… pic.twitter.com/8VlP2ykwDR
— News Of The Globe (@NewsOfEarthTr) October 17, 2024
These Auroras Are A Bad Sign!
(An Introduction to the Magnetic Pole Shift) pic.twitter.com/vbbilCwYD8
— SpaceWeatherNews (@SunWeatherMan) October 13, 2024