Record number of sunspots sparks concerns of disruptions to life on Earth
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The unusually high number of sunspots has sparked concerns of severe space weather events in the months and years ahead.
PHOTO: AFP
A total of 163 sunspots were observed in June, breaking a monthly record that lasted for more than 20 years, say scientists.
The unusually high number of sunspots – the highest recorded since September 2002
Space weather phenomena can impact our daily lives in many ways – from power and flight disruptions to radio blackouts.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the 163 sunspots observed in June were twice the number forecast for the period.
Scientists say the number of sunspots is important because it determines the extent to which the sun impacts space weather. The higher the number of sunspots, the higher the chance of phenomena such as solar flares that could trigger radio blackouts, ground flights and disrupt power grids.
On the bright side, the flares could also reveal stunning auroras – natural light displays in the sky.
The solar cycle is an 11-year ebb and flow of the sun’s activity.
Solar cycles vary in intensity, and the activity of the current cycle, which began in 2019, is heading towards what is called a solar maximum – the period of greatest solar activity, indicated by numerous sunspots. And the more active the sun gets, the more likely it is to send charged particles to Earth that could potentially interrupt our infrastructure.
Sunspots form in areas where the sun’s magnetic fields are strong. More sunspots on the surface of our star point to disrupted magnetic activity. This increases the likelihood of a sudden explosion of energy – a solar flare – according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
More sunspots could also mean more coronal mass ejections, according to online publication space.com. These are powerful eruptions of charged particles that make up solar wind.
Intense bursts of these solar winds can penetrate the Earth’s magnetic field and supercharge particles in our atmosphere. These in turn trigger those mesmerising auroras, but also interfere with radio and satellite communications.
For the most part, they go unnoticed. But they can cause flights to be grounded because they interfere with and block information flows.
On Sunday, one of these sunspots produced a powerful solar flare that caused a temporary radio blackout in the western United States and over the Pacific Ocean, according to Spaceweather.com.
Earlier this year, a powerful solar flare caused widespread radio blackouts in the Americas.
An unexpected solar storm also caused auroras – usually seen in places such as northern Canada and Iceland – as far south as the US state of Arizona
Dr Tom Berger, a solar physicist and director of the Space Weather Technology Centre at the University of Colorado, Boulder, told Space.com that after a major solar storm hit Earth in October 2003, satellite operators lost track of hundreds of their spacecraft for several days.
Experts worry that with growing numbers of satellites, a repeat of such a situation may result in greater orbital chaos lasting not days but weeks.
