Sun Entering Most Active Cycle in More Than a Decade, Could Lead to Power Outages, and Grounded Flights

The sun may be waking up after almost a decade of relative calm, scientists say — and that could cause problems on Earth. According to a new report from Business Insider , The solar storms that rage on our star during its active period create bursts of electromagnetic energy that can affect everything from the power grid to GPS signals.

These so-called solar maximums occur roughly every 11 years, and they haven’t been much of a problem in the past. Scientists, however, fear that our reliance on electricity and interconnectivity could mean we’re far more vulnerable to their effects this time around.

The sun is a big ball of plasma, heated at its center. The plasma, which is made of charged particles, boils toward the surface, cools down, and sinks back toward the core again.

AdvertisementThat motion, called convection, is what creates strong magnetic fields at the poles and smaller, local magnetic […]

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