Star Gazers

The seasons on Earth are a familiar natural# cycle with distinct phases - spring, summer, autumn, winter.

Now, the sun doesn't really# have winter per se, but it does have a regular, predictable cycle of solar activity.

Called the# Solar cycle, Magnetic Activity cycle, or Schwabe cycle after the astronomer who discovered it in# the mid 1800s, this 11-year long cycle can tell us a lot about the Sun.

During each solar cycle,# the Sun reaches a peak of activity known as the solar maximum.

This is where we see an increase in# solar flares and sunspots.

Then a few years later, it reaches a solar minimum with the opposite.# That's fewer solar flares and sunspots.

This cycle does impact life on Earth as well, especially the# solar maximum.

Flares and plasma expulsions can impact satellite communications, GPS systems,# even power grids here on Earth.

However, when the charged particles from the Sun interact with# our planet's magnetic field and upper atmosphere, that's when it gets really exciting because we get# auroras - the northern and southern lights.

Solar maximums make for the most stunning auroras,# especially near the poles.

As sun activity increases during a solar maximum, the likelihood# of strong auroras goes up.

We're not even the only planet with auroras, by the way.

Spacecraft have# found aurora on Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Currently, we're in Solar cycle# number 25, which began in December 2019.

So, solar maximum is expected to peak in 2025.# It is an exciting time to study our Sun and understand the effects it has on Earth and# the night sky.

So, keep looking up this year, Star Gazers.

It's certainly an exciting period to# watch the skies for a potential light show.

For more Star Gazers, click the video below.

Don't# leave me hanging.

Come on, click it.

Click it.