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NASA Claims The Sun Is “Waking Up,” And Scientists Fear It Could ‘Wreak Havoc’
The sun is ‘waking up’, according to NASA, and this might have serious consequences for Earth.
Our sun had a significant downturn from 1988 to 2008, but you probably wouldn’t have noticed.
Over the course of those two decades, its solar wind—basically, an endless stream of charged particles it launches around the solar system—became notably weaker.
The intensity of solar activity has been steadily decreasing from the 1980s until about 2008, exhibiting a long-term weakening trend throughout many solar cycles during that time. Solar activity has an 11-year cycle.
The weakest solar cycle since space weather monitoring began was actually Solar Cycle 24, which began in 2008.
However, since then, the sun has undoubtedly put on its hat, as researchers who measure the solar wind at a distance of roughly 93 million miles from Earth have observed a very spectacular resurgence.
Between 2008 and 2025, the following has changed: The solar wind’s density has increased by 26%, its temperature has increased by a scorching 29%, its speed has increased by 6%, its pressure and energy have increased by 30% to 45%, and the sun’s magnetic field has expanded by more than 30%.
All of this is supported by a recent study that was written up in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
“All signs were pointing to the sun going into a prolonged phase of low activity,” lead author Jamie Jasinski, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California, said.
“So it was a surprise to see that trend reversed. The sun is slowly waking up.”
Earth may be significantly impacted by this increase in solar activity, especially through solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
It is well known that these occurrences can disrupt radio signals, damage satellites, cause GPS errors, and even cause widespread electrical grid disruptions.
The benefit is that during such occurrences, the sun may release high-energy charged particles that interact with Earth’s upper atmosphere and magnetic field, producing stunningly brilliant aurora displays in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
For millennia, scientists have been keeping an eye on the sun’s activity. One of the most notable abnormalities to date has been noted in historical records: a protracted period of remarkable stillness between 1790 and 1830.
“We don’t really know why the sun went through a 40-year minimum starting in 1790,” Dr Jasinski said.
“The longer-term trends are a lot less predictable and are something we don’t completely understand yet.”
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