After a quiet year, Soho discovers a new sunspot that marks the start of the 24th solar cycle
After a long period without sunspots and a whole year in which individual sunspots appeared, Soho scientists discovered a new sunspot - evidence of the beginning of another solar cycle, the 24th in number.
On September 23, 2008, Soho revealed a new spot in a relatively active area. The previous spot in this area disappeared on May 10, 2008 and since then the sun has been calm for quite a long time. The new spot displayed magnetic properties and its location at high latitudes indicated that it was a new cycle and not remnants of the previous cycle. Although the stain disappeared within a day, it symbolized the following to come in the coming months.
The sunspot phenomenon is part of the natural cellular cycle. The sun usually completes a cyclic period every 11 years, with an increase in solar activity that reaches its peak in the middle of the cycle and then recedes. The activity is accompanied by strong magnetic storms that emit material with a high electrical charge from the sun into space. Part of the charge reaches the earth and affects the weather, agriculture, ecosystems, and on a wide variety of factors.
We do not have the tools to estimate the changes in solar activity and their intensity, but if we base ourselves on documentation from the last 400 years, we can expect an increase in solar activity in the coming months. The 24th cycle is a direct continuation of the study of the phenomenon that began over 250 years ago. Scientists do not know what causes sunspots, but observations and documentation over the years have revealed many secrets about the phenomenon and its effects on the planet.
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