Posted on 12/30/2013 9:48:19 AM PST by Farnsworth
The sun is flipping its poles!
Actually, NASA reports that this phenomenon happens about 11 years, when the sun's vast magnetic field flips.
"It looks like we're no more than three to four months away from a complete field reversal," said solar physicist Todd Hoeksema of Stanford University. "This change will have ripple effects throughout the solar system."
A video shows how the sun will complete the reversal, which appens at the peak of each solar cycle as the sun's inner magnetic dynamo re-organizes. The current "flip" is the midway point of Solar Cycle 24, NASA said.
Hoeksema is the director of Stanford's Wilcox Solar Observatory, one of the few observatories in the world that monitors the sun's polar magnetic fields. The poles are a herald of change. Just as Earth scientists watch our planet's polar regions for signs of climate change, solar physicists do the same thing for the sun. Magnetograms at Wilcox have been tracking the sun's polar magnetism since 1976, and they have recorded three grand reversals--with a fourth in the offing.
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."
A reversal of the sun's magnetic field is, literally, a big event. The domain of the sun's magnetic influence (also known as the "heliosphere") extends billions of kilometers beyond Pluto. Changes to the field's polarity ripple all the way out to the Voyager probes, on the doorstep of interstellar space.
Appens? The author must be from Manchester, England.
CQ CQ CQ DX Six Meters.
/johnny
I copy and paste, you decide...
Sunspots have been cranking away for the past few months but you are right, it’s still a very inactive max.
Not blaming you. I just knew a guy from Manchester who spoke like that. Never pronounced the “h.”
I occasionally stop by spaceweather.com to see what the old sun is up to. Not to long ago, scientist were concerned about the lack of activity....
It’s certainly made up for it.
I also want to note my “title” was altered
Ok. Duly noted! :)
Can’t be. They’ve already banned incandescent light bulbs.
One can safely assume the solar physicists are better at their jobs than the Earth scientists.
Back to the original.
Sounds like a harmonic convergence of events may be in the works..
Sun flips poles ..
US Senate flips from Dhimmi to TEA Party control..
Obama hosts multiple beer summits with any one who will show up.
Yup! Major stuff going down..
WE truly do live in very interesting times.
Quick! find a way to blame Bush!
Simon: My God! The sun.
Elaine Dickinson: What is it, Simon?
Simon: A large, fiery ball at the center of our solar system, but that’s not important now.
What are the “ripple effects” mentioned in this article?
Thanks
/johnny
73s.
Damnit! Now all the Grandkid’s drawings are gonna fall off the refrigerator again.
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