This is the third book in the series that included 'The Theory of Nothing' the "The Universe Revealed.' My purpose in this new book is to more fully explain how science is actually done and how science fits into our culture along with religion and p...
What's up with the sun? It's supposed to be headed to a sunspot minimum, but just recently, our favorite star has spewed out some very intense solar flares, some being the most powerful in its current 11-year cycle.
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Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy and radiation that are blasted out into space, often hitting Earth's upper atmosphere to create spectacular aurora displays. These bursts of energy can also cause disturbances to radio signals, GPS and other signals from satellites. Solar flares arise from the tangled magnetic lines that are associated with sunspots. These magnetic line arch out into space for thousands of miles and if they twist and collide, they produce brilliant blasts of energy. Some of these flares can almost outshine the sun.
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A X8.2 class flare erupted from the sun on September 10, 2017. X-class flares are very powerful compared to M-class and C-class flares. They are quite capable of causing damage to technology.
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According to NASA, big flares are not all that unusual at the end of a sunspot maximum. The explanation for this is rather convoluted. The sun spins just like Earth, but since it's composed of gases, the rotation is quite different in the polar regions compared to the equator. Then, there is the fact that the gases spin in opposite directions in the two hemispheres, just like water does on Earth. The reason for this is Coriolis force, which is named after the French scientist who discovered it.
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Another reason for the violent flares is the fact that the most powerful geomagnetic storms happen during sunspot minimums. This is the way the sun works. Part of the reason these effects are not completely understood is because scientists don't have a complete model of the sun's magnetic fields, which is what causes these storms.
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The sun is currently in its ninth year of the 11-year cycle. So, we could see some really powerful storms in the months ahead. What's so funny about this is that back in 2008, scientists were concerned about the fact that the sun had gone without sunspots for extended periods, prompting people to become alarmed and think that the sun was going to turn off.
That's not going to happen, at least for another 4 to 5 billion years.
