Warwick team finds solar switch-off forecasting storms within 7 years
Researchers have figured out how to forecast big changes in the sun's activity up to six or seven years before they happen.
Led by Sandra Chapman at the University of Warwick, the team discovered a "switch-off" point in the sun's cycle, basically, a moment when wild space weather like solar flares just stops.
This could help us get ready for future solar storms much earlier than before.
Warwick model predicted cycle 25
Chapman explained that "the most extreme space weather switches off quite suddenly at a specific point in every solar cycle."
By tracking sunspot activity during this switch-off, scientists can now predict how intense the next solar cycle will be.
Their new model already nailed its prediction for solar cycle 25 and will be used to predict solar cycle 26 soon, which could mean better protection for satellites, internet connections, and power grids here on earth.