The sun is getting more active, this can be seen from the activity of sunspots. According to predictions, the current cycle of solar activity should be light, but what happened is not quite as forecast.
Currently, the number of sunspots, which are used as a measure of solar activity, is much higher than the values estimated and calculated by NOAA and NASA. The number of sunspots has been consistently higher than predicted levels since September 2020.
Even so, the Sun is actually a dynamic object, it can be seen from the cycle of magnetic field activity every 11 years. These cycles have marked peaks and troughs known as solar maximums and solar minimums, which are calculated by solar scientists based on sunspot numbers.
The problem is, the number of sunspots over the past 18 months has been consistently higher than predicted. The sun currently has 61 sunspots, and there is still more than three years left before it reaches its maximum solar period.
In 2014, a team of scientists led by Solar physicist Scott McIntosh of the US National Center for atmospheric research found that 11 years was just an average. Some solar cycles are slightly longer than 11 years, and some are slightly shorter. Usually, long cycles are usually weaker in effect. On the other hand, those with shorter cycles are likely to be stronger.
McIntosh and his colleagues predict that by 2020, the next solar cycle is likely to be even more intense. Maybe it could be the strongest in recorded history.
"Scientists have struggled to predict the length and strength of the sunspot cycle because we lack a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that drive the cycle," McIntosh said.
"If our estimates prove correct, we will have evidence that our framework for understanding the Sun's internal magnetic engine is on the right track."
From the explanation above, it means that we may be in for a fairly large solar storm in the current era. Please note, the impact of a large solar storm can cause communication blackouts, fluctuations in the power grid, and spectacular auroras.
Will this make the Earth hotter? The Conservation writes that sunspots make the air temperature on Earth rise 0.05 - 0.1 degrees Celsius.
Even so, there is still no clarity until we pass the solar maximum period. For now, there is no problem to be seriously afraid of.