NASA announced that solar activity has been steadily increasing since 2008, and this trend has continued for the past 16 years.
This unexpected change has surprised scientists and could have significant implications for terrestrial and space technologies.
“All signs pointed to the sun entering a long period of low activity, but now we are witnessing a gradual awakening of the sun and an increase in its activity,” said Jamie Jasinski, a plasma physicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and lead author of the study.
According to researchers, this increase in solar activity could increase the likelihood of solar storms, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections.
These phenomena not only affect the performance of spacecraft and the safety of astronauts, but can also have significant effects on Earth, including disruption of power grids, GPS systems, and radio communications.
NASA has warned that these solar patterns require closer monitoring to reduce potential risks.
