Why are there so many Aurora Borealis displays these days?

If you have not noticed a beautiful sky in your backyard, you have almost seen friends share their photos on social media. The northern glow, or the polar glow, has been almost a week in recent months. Already in May, Polar Lights brightened the heavens for nearly a week straight, and in October another wave struck that was visible for almost half of the USS It turns out that there is a reason the northern glow has become such a common occurrence in 2024 and, According to NASAThe model will continue in 2025 and potentially in 2026.

The space agency was hosted a teleconference On October 15, to officially announce that the sun is at the peak of its 11-year cycle, also known as a sunny maximum, and to explain what people can expect now when it is here.

Read more: Aurora viewers share stunning pictures of the northern glow

“We are currently in the period of the 11-year solar cycle known as a sunny maximum,” said Elsaed Talaat, director of the space monitoring service at the National Administration for Oceans and the atmosphere. “During this time, we expect to see more sunspots and therefore there is a greater chance that space time will arise every day with a strong impact.”

In other words, NASA and NOAA expect the sun to generate more sunspots and more crown dispersal similar to those that happened this yearand potentially more like those observed in May and October, where the polar glow reached down much farther than usualS

NASA says this cycle – known as a sun cycle 25 – has begun in December 2019 and since then the sun has increased its activity every year. Since the solar cycle 25 is a smaller cycle, NOAA and NASA believe that the solar maximum will last longer than normal, which means more polar glow for all for a long time.

“The solar cycle 25 is formed as a relatively small cycle, but slightly larger than cycle 24,” said Lisa Upton, co-chair of the solar cycle prediction panel 25. “This means that we can expect the maximum phase to be more than more phase The long side, approximately three to four years. We are currently about two years in the maximum period, so we expect another year or more maximum phase before entering the decline phase.

Expect more solar eruptions and more polar glow

All this happens because the sun goes through an 11-year cycle. These cycles end with the reversal of the solar poles. Imagine if the North and South Pole turns to the ground, which can really happen one dayAnd you have a general idea of ​​what is happening with our closest star right now. The transition causes the sun to become much more active, leading to more solar eruptions and the disposal of a coronal mass.

After these eruptions and discarded strike the Earth, they interact with the geomagnetic field of the planet and cause the spectacular view we know as a northern glow. There is always a little sun radiation that hits the earth, so the northern glow is always near the North Pole. However, when larger solar eruptions and discarded strikes the earth, it has a greater effect that not only makes the polar glow stronger but also repels it further than the North Pole, which allows people in other parts of The world to see it.

Thus, while the sun remains on its maximum, it will continue to cause more cases of polar glow, which moves south. It is unclear whether the Earth will survive another geomagnetic storm, as in May and October, or exactly when the solar maximum will end. NASA and NOAA say that it will take months after the maximum is over, first of all, it will be calculated. until then Prepare these phones Because the northern glow can return at any time or every day for the next one to two years.