Predicting solar storms.The sun is a lot more than a giant ball of hot gas. Its surface is speckled speck·led adj. 1. Dotted or covered with speckles, especially flecked with small spots of contrasting color. 2. Of a mixed character; motley. Adj. 1. with dark spots and roiled by energy-packed storms that shoot out massive clouds of charged particles charged particle n. An elementary particle, such as a proton or electron, with a positive or negative electric charge. and magnetic fields magnetic fields, n.pl the spaces in which magnetic forces are detectable; created by magnetostrictive ultrasonic scalers to cause the tips of instruments such as ultrasonic scalers to vibrate. . Predicting when such solar storms occur is important because magnetic eruptions on the sun can knock out power grids on Earth and interfere with satellites orbiting the planet. Knowing that storms are coming could help us better prepare for them. There isn't a lot happening on the sun right now, but scientists have long known that the amount of activity on the sun rises and falls Rise and Fall redirects here. For the Belgian hardcore band, click here. Rises and falls is a category of the ballroom dance technique that refers to rises and falls of the body of a dancer achieved through actions of knees and feet (ankles). in a cycle that lasts about 11 years. We're at a lull before activity ramps up again. A new computer model is helping scientists forecast how strong future solar storms will be and how often they will occur. The model predicts that the next solar cycle solar cycle Period in which several important kinds of solar activity repeat, discovered in 1843 by Samuel Heinrich Schwabe (1789–1875). Lasting about 22 years on average, it includes two 11-year cycles of sunspots, whose magnetic polarities alternate between the will begin a year later than the timing of the standard 11-year cycle would suggest. Once it starts, it'll be 30 to 50 percent more intense than the cycle that we're in right now. Researchers from the National Center for Atmospheric Research The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is a non-governmental U.S.-based institute whose stated mission is "exploring and understanding our atmosphere and its interactions with the Sun, the oceans, the biosphere, and human society. in Boulder, Colo., based the new model on observations of electrically charged gas, called plasma, that flows across the surface of the sun and through its fiery insides. As the plasma moves, it carries magnetic fields than join together and break apart. Sometimes, these fields release huge amounts of energy from within a sunspot sunspot Cooler-than-average region of gas on the Sun's surface associated with strong local magnetic activity. Sunspots appear as dark spots, but only in contrast with the surrounding photosphere, which is several thousand degrees hotter. , creating storms. There are two types of plasma motion that determine the solar cycle of storms. The rotation of the sun, first of all, causes plasma at the poles to rotate faster than plasma at the equator. This causes the sun's magnetic fields to stretch and twist, which releases energy. Secondly, plasma at the equator moves to the poles as if it were on a conveyer belt. Then, the charged gas plunges toward the sun's center, before returning to the surface. When it bursts back out, it also releases energy. The new model shows that the plasma's motion has slowed down over the last few decades. This suggests that the next cycle will begin slightly late. Storm activity should begin building in late 2008 and peak around 2012. Tests of the new model have shown that it matches the timing of previous solar cycles Here is the list of Solar cycles (or sunspot cycles), tracked since 1755:
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