The number of sunspots recorded the highest in the past 20 years, and there is also the danger that the ``solar maximum period'' will come and the power grid and the Internet will be cut off
A record 163
Sun breaks out with highest number of sunspots since in more than two decades | Space
https://www.space.com/sun-highest-sunspot-number-since-2002
Sunspot numbers hit 20-year high, indicating the sun is fast approaching its explosive peak | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/sunspot-numbers-hit-20-year-high-indicating-the-sun-is-fast-approaching-its-explosive-peak
According to the Space Weather Prediction Center , a division of the National Weather Service that continuously monitors the space environment, 163 sunspots were observed in June 2023. It was the month with the most sunspots observed since September 2022, when 187 sunspots were observed.
Sunspots are areas that appear darker because they are cooler than the surrounding Sun's surface, and are produced by the Sun's magnetic field. Space weather researchers carefully track the number of sunspots, as it is the easiest way to track solar activity cycles with solar flares and solar wind emissions.
It is known that the solar activity cycle changes in a cycle of about 11 years, and this solar activity cycle, which started in 2019, is the 25th since the observation started in 1755 . Initially, scientists expected the 25th solar cycle to be relatively mild, with about 115 sunspots observed in 2025 and a peak solar maximum expected. However, solar activity has been increasing since 2022, and the number of sunspots is increasing at a pace that far exceeds scientists' expectations.
During the solar maximum, more sunspots appear, the amount of energy emitted from the sun increases, and large solar flares and accompanying solar storms that blow hot plasma to the earth are more likely to occur. We know that induced currents caused by solar storms can disrupt power grids and the Internet, and solar storms have caused large-scale power outages several times in the past.
The Carrington Event , a powerful solar storm that occurred in 1859, caused catastrophic failures in telegraph systems around the world, causing ``telegraph papers to burn'' and ``an aurora was observed in Colombia in South America. ” was reported. In modern times, there are concerns about damage to power grids and the Internet from solar storms.
Massive solar storms could shut down power grids and the Internet - GIGAZINE
Solar flares and solar storms can also disrupt the Earth's magnetic field, causing satellites to plummet due to increased atmospheric resistance. In 2022, an accident occurred in which 38 artificial satellites of the satellite Internet `` Starlink '' provided by SpaceX crashed due to the effects of a magnetic storm caused by solar activity.
Is it the arrival of a difficult time for artificial satellites due to the sudden drop of artificial satellites orbiting the earth due to the influence of solar activity - GIGAZINE
In fact, on July 2, 2023 local time, a powerful solar flare caused a brief blackout in the western United States and the Pacific region, and solar activity is also affecting people's lives. As solar activity becomes more active in the future, it may cause serious problems in power grids, artificial satellites, the Internet, etc.
NASA solar physicist Robert Leamon said in an interview with space-related media Space.com, ``The 25th solar cycle is strange, with the biggest phenomena occurring in 2025 and 2026 after the solar maximum. is expected to occur in
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