December is known for its cold temperatures, but there is a warning from scientists to prepare for intense solar storms capable of destroying satellites and melting the internet.
They said sooner than thought, possibly early 2024 that Earth could reach solar maximum.
According to them, about every 11 years, the sun goes through what’s known as ‘solar maximum’, when many bizarre dark spots appear on its surface.
According to the report, the ‘sunspots’ – which can cluster together and form what looks like an archipelago – are caused by massive changes in our star’s magnetic field, a report in the mailonline has said.
They also shoot out violent explosions of energy towards Earth, causing ‘solar storms’ that can potentially damage satellites and disrupt the internet.
The new forecast on the imminence of intense solar storms comes from an Indian team of researchers and contrasts with the latest forecast from NASA, which puts its arrival at late 2025.
The report credits researchers with discovering a new relationship between the Sun’s magnetic field and its sunspot cycle, that could help predict when the peak in solar activity would occur.
This image from the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the sun with multiple sunspots, which appear dark compared with their surroundings.
