Solar pole flip
Johannesburg, 30 May 2024
Every 11 or so years, the sun undergoes a change: its magnetic poles reverse. Like Earth, the sun has a magnetic North and a magnetic South. But unlike Earth, whose poles flip on the order of hundreds of thousands of years, the sun's change is a regular occurrence. The sun's poles last reversed in 2013. So, another one is just about due - likely starting sometime this year.
But it's what happens before the flip that can cause trouble.
Leading up to the pole reversal is a time of increasingly intense magnetic activity on the surface of the sun. This typically brings more intense solar storms, which can cause disruption to satellites, communication and GPS in space and disable parts of the electrical grid... READ MORE