Latest news with #SolarMaximum
Forbes
27-07-2025
- Forbes
Northern Lights: Six Unique Aurora Adventures To Book Now For Winter
The Northern Lights from Abisko, Sweden. Everyone wants to see the aurora borealis. Expedia's Unpack '25 report saw 61% of respondents wanting to see the Northern Lights. The current solar maximum (when the sun is at its most active every 11 years or so) has seen the Northern Lights glimpsed at more southerly latitudes than is possible, but to get a reliable show, you must head to the Arctic Circle, most reliably between September and March. Beyond 2027, displays of the Northern Lights at lower latitudes will wane, but those at higher latitudes where the auroral oval sits almost permanently —including Alaska, northern Canada, Iceland, northern Norway, Sweden and Finland — will continue to host aurora displays. 1. Chase The Aurora With Wil Lots of people think they know about the Northern Lights, having seen them once. A select few can predict them almost down to the minute. One of the latter is Wil Cheung, an experienced aurora chaser from the U.K., who's seen the Northern Lights over 300 times and sends out incredibly accurate daily alerts on Facebook about when to see the aurora. His latest aurora cruise, from Liverpool in the U.K. into the aurora zone around Norway, during which he'll use his ability to interpret real-time solar data to have guests out on deck during the all-important expansion phases. The cruise also includes professional photographers running workshops and lectures from astrophysicists. It will take place between Oct. 16 and 25, coinciding with the peak of the Orionid meteor shower. Aurora tourists taking in the sky show on March 14, 2018 from the aft deck of the Hurtigruten ship ... More the m/s Nordnorge on the journey south, from a location north of Tromso this night This is a single 2-second exposure with the Rokinon 12mm full-frame fish-eye lens and Nikon D750 at ISO 8000. (Photo by: Alan Dyer/VW Pics/UIG via Getty Images) 2. Learn How To Photograph The Aurora The tiny town of Churchill on Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, is one of the best places to see polar bears in the wild from tundra vehicles. It's also a mecca for aurora-hunters. This Northern Lights Photo Expedition from Natural Habitat Adventures features expert photographer guides, snowshoeing and dog sledding. 3. Ride The Northern Lights Train Between Narvik in Norway's Nordland and Kiruna in Sweden runs the Ofot line, one of the northernmost railway lines in the world. It's there to take iron ore — 100 tons at a time — to the coast for export around the world. However, it's known as The Arctic Train, taking tourists from the fjord in Narvik to Abisko National Park in Sweden. The latter is home to incredible landscapes, Aurora Sky, where you can ride a chairlift in the dark while surrounded by aurora up to a mountain for a gorgeous view over Lake Torneträsk. 4. Take A Journey On An Astronomy Voyage This unique journey on MS Trollfjord up the Norwegian coast from Oslo to Honningsvåg in the far north and back over a leisurely 15 days, with lectures from expert astronomer, Tom Kerss, Hurtigruten's Chief Aurora Chaser. This North Cape Line trip includes multiple stops and endless opportunities to view and photograph the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights appear over Mount Kirkjufell with Kirkjufellfoss waterfall in Iceland. 5. Take An 'Extreme' Aurora Tour Iceland is one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights, but finding a clear sky can mean a lot of driving in the dark, often in icy conditions. This "extreme" tour from Reykjavik eschews the typical two-hour tour that has only a small chance of success and extends it to an all-nighter. Lasting up to 10 hours from 5:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., this tour can reach iconic places such as Kirkjufell — Church Mountain — on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in western Iceland, which is too far from Reykjavik to feature on most aurora tours. The driver and guide is also an experienced aurora photographer, who will capture images and share them with guests. As the name suggests, Viking outfits are available for quirky images against the backdrop of the aurora. 6. Hire A Private Aurora Guide If you've seen the Northern Lights raging above you from Alaska or northern Europe, it's natural to want to show your friends and family. Trouble is, if you do take them, you're now in charge of finding them the aurora. Designed to give families and groups the best chance to experience the aurora dancing in Arctic skies, Lights Over Lapland has a four-day adventure in Abisko National Park, Sweden, for up to 12 people, spread over two traditional Swedish homes, accompanied by a highly experienced aurora guide with a 4x4 to get you all to the wilderness when the aurora appears. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
NDTV
09-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
What Is Solar Maximum And How Will It Affect Earth in 2025?
The Solar Maximum is a period of heightened solar activity, which is marked by increased sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Roughly every 11 years, at the height of the solar cycle, the Sun's magnetic poles flip. This year is said to be the peak of Solar Cycle 25, bringing significant impacts on Earth and space. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) announced last year that the Sun has entered its solar maximum period, which could continue for another year. How Will It Affect The Earth? The solar maximum's effects on Earth's climate are lesser as compared to human-driven climate change, resulting in a rise in temperatures. However, there will be disruptions to technology and infrastructure because of solar activities. 1) There will be an increase in the sunspots, which are cooler and darker areas on the Sun's surface. The sunspots will appear during the Solar Maximum. "During solar maximum, the number of sunspots, and therefore, the amount of solar activity, increases," Jamie Favors, director, Space Weather Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said as quoted by NASA. "This increase in activity provides an exciting opportunity to learn about our closest star - but also causes real effects at Earth and throughout our solar system." 2) The increased solar activity means more radiation, which can damage satellite electronics, causing satellites to deorbit. "Solar Cycle 25 sunspot activity has slightly exceeded expectations," Lisa Upton, co-chair of the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel and lead scientist at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, said as quoted by NASA. "However, despite seeing a few large storms, they aren't larger than what we might expect during the maximum phase of the cycle." 3) Solar flares can release powerful bursts of radiation, disrupting satellite navigation, GPS systems and radio broadcasts. Powerful CMEs can induce geomagnetic storms, causing power outages and damage to electrical infrastructure. 4) Increased radiation levels also pose health risks to astronauts and passengers on high-altitude flights. "While the Sun has reached the solar maximum period, the month that solar activity peaks on the Sun will not be identified for months or years," Elsayed Talaat, director of space weather operations at NOAA, said last year in a press statement. 5) High solar activity means auroras will be visible amid increased frequency and intensity of Northern and Southern Lights due to charged particles from the Sun interacting with Earth's atmosphere. However, a report by mentioned that auroras are visible at any time in the solar cycle, even during solar minimum as the sun doesn't stop sending energetic particles just because its activity has reduced. Experts have advised people to monitor reliable sources like NASA and NOAA for updates on solar activity and space weather. They must shield sensitive electronics and infrastructure from solar radiation and design redundant systems.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Sun's South Pole Photographed for the First Time
It took millions of years of being a species before humans took the first picture of our own Earth's southernmost point. Now, after less than a century in space, we've photographed the Sun's south pole. The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter's images aren't just groundbreaking. Learning more about our star's polar regions will help scientists understand and predict the Sun's effects on Earth. For all human history, we have had only one angle on the Sun. The view was straight on. This is because the planets and their spacecraft rotate around the Sun on a flat circle called the ecliptic plane. Picture a CD playing. Or don't, I'm not your boss. At any rate, that flat-on angle prevented us from seeing either pole. Escaping the ecliptic plane takes some doing, by which I mean a lot of very expensive rocket fuel. The Solar Orbiter used Venus's gravity to help pull it out of the usual equatorial orbit around the Sun. Every time it passes Venus, the planet's massive gravitational force shoves it out of the ecliptic plane. As it keeps looping around Venus, it gets pushed further and further out of alignment with that plane. In January 2027, it should come around the Sun again at a more tilted angle, giving us an even better view. The Sun's polar regions are pretty busy and chaotic places, it turns out. The ESA's press release about their findings goes so far as to call the Sun's magnetic field "a mess." The Sun's magnetic north and south poles switch places every 11 years, and it's a somewhat sloppy process. During the transition period, called the "Solar Maximum," the magnetic field becomes a confused tangle, with no clear north or south pole. These magnetic upsets can cause a variety of startling and unpleasant effects on Earth, as seen in the history of solar superstorms. Look forward to power outages, satellite communication breakdowns, and particularly striking auroral displays until the sun settles down again and decides which end is which. The images and readings from the Solar Orbiter give scientists a better idea of what's going on with the Sun's magnetic fields. This, in turn, will allow them to predict future solar activity more accurately. We aren't there yet, but this is a massive step toward building accurate computer models of solar magnetic behavior.
