This suggests that a new cycle of solar activity.
MOSCOW, may 29. /TASS/. Orbital Observatory SDO recorded the most powerful in the last three years flash on the Sun’s surface that indicates the end of an abnormally long and quiet period of solar hibernation. TASS said the chief researcher of the laboratory of x-ray astronomy of the Sun Lebedev physical Institute Sergey Bogachev.
“Under any scenario it is possible to confidently say one thing: the new solar cycle has begun, and it will fully define the physics of our star for the next eleven years. The heart of our sun continue beats to the rhythm, which is established from observations of the Sun over the past 400 years,” — said the scientist.
Astronomers have long known that the Sun periodically there are outbreaks in which shone dramatically highlights the tremendous amount of energy as waves of visible light, thermal and x-ray radiation. Powerful events of this kind can disrupt satellites in orbit and disturb radio communication systems on Earth and threaten the health of astronauts.
As a rule, the level of flare activity on the Sun varies with a periodicity of about 11 years. A few years ago, scientists began to fear that this pattern started to break for the penultimate and current solar cycles, which was characterized by a few spots and flares. Many theorists suggest that such anomalies show a fundamental change in the work of the solar resources.
As noted Bogachev, the Sun has fallen into such an abnormally long “hibernation” at the end of September 2017 — after the surface has occurred record powerful flash of class X9.3. It is the most powerful event of its kind over the past 15 years.
the hibernation lasted almost three years, until this morning, when the tools space Observatory SDO and other solar telescopes detected a flare of class M, which is only one degree weaker than the event of class X. According to astrophysics, it was a surprise, because such outbreaks are usually preceded by milder manifestations of solar activity, outbursts of class C.
“For the entire current year, there was not one flash of class C. moreover, outbreaks of class C was observed in may 2019. A break in the solar flare activity lasted for almost a year and was interrupted today with the explosion of high power. It remains to be seen whether this means that the increase in flare activity throughout the upcoming cycle will be as violent, or is this just a coincidence,” said a researcher.
As explained Bogachev, for this reason scientists have two theories. On the one hand, the experience of monitoring previous cycles of activity��and the Sun says that due such a sharp Wake-up lights next flash will be stronger and will happen more often. On the other hand, a long “calm” in the Sun and small number of weak flares during this period may indeed indicate that the Orb is moving to centennial or even millennial minimum of activity. In this case, the beginning of the cycle with a powerful flash will be a mere coincidence. Subsequent observations of the Sun, hopes the scientist will give the answer to this question.
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