The sun’s magnetic field is about to flip upside down as it reverses its polarity.

In August Nasa said the reversal would happen in three to four months time, although that it would be impossible to pinpoint a more specific date. Solar physicist Todd Hoeksema from Stanford University said that the reversal would have “ripple effects” across the whole of the solar system. According to Nasa the sun’s magnetic field changes polarity approximately every 11 years. In comparison the last time the Earth’s magnetic field flipped was almost 800,000 years ago.

When this happens the opposing magnetic poles switch places so the magnetic field is flipped.

The pole reversal happens at the peak of each solar cycle as the sun’s “inner magnetic dynamo” reorganises itself. The exact internal mechanism that drives the magnetic shift is not yet entirely understood by researchers, although the sun’s magnetic field has been monitored on a daily basis by Scientists at Stanford’s Wilcox Solar Observatory. This will be the fourth such shift that the observatory has monitored.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/10450581/Sun-expected-to-flip-upside-down-as-magnetic-field-reverses-its-polarity.html

Science

More “science”….well sort of…

y=ln((x/m-sa))/r^2

yr^2=ln(x/m-sa)

e^(yr^2)= x/m-sa

e^(yr^2)+sa=x/m

m((e^(yr^2)+sa)=x

me^(yr^2)+msa=x

me^(yr^2)=x-msa

from this we can conclude…

me^rry=x-mas

<><><><><><><return to="" topic="">

macx

Once every 11 years?

I didn’t know that

The Sun’s dipole field is relatively weak compared to its local (sunspot) field.

Earth’s magnetic field is 0.65 Gauss.
Jupiter’s magnetic field is 4.28 Gauss.
The Sun’s dipole magnetic field is about 50 Gauss, about as strong as a refrigerator magnet.
Magnetic field strengths within sunspots range from 1,000 to 4,000 Gauss.

Yes, the Sun’s dipole magnetic field flips every ~11 year sunspot cycle, so the full cycle is often given as ~22 years.

Which reminds me, how are sunspot numbers going for this cycle? Remember the concern over the lack of sunspots at solar minimum? The smoothed peak was in June this year at 60.5 sunspots. That’s half the maximum from the previous cycle of 120.9 in April 2000. Note also the time delay, that’s 13.2 years rather than the oft-quoted 11.4. The unsmoothed monthly peak in each case was 96.7 and 170.1 respectively.

dv said:

Science

It works, chubies.

macx said:

More “science”….well sort of…

y=ln((x/m-sa))/r^2

yr^2=ln(x/m-sa)

e^(yr^2)= x/m-sa

e^(yr^2)+sa=x/m

m((e^(yr^2)+sa)=x

me^(yr^2)+msa=x

me^(yr^2)=x-msa

from this we can conclude…

me^rry=x-mas

<><><><><><><return to="" topic="">

macx

*points *
NERD!

The sun’s magnetic field has now fully reversed its polarity, marking the midpoint of Solar Cycle 24, which will be completed in 11 years time

Video: Sun has ‘flipped upside down’ as new magnetic cycle begins

Speaking of the Sun, and no mention of it being a repeat.

The Secret Life of the Sun

8.30pm – 9.30pm SBS HD

Ninety million miles away from us is the power that shapes our world – the sun. We see it shine in the sky above us, but beyond our sight something dramatic is happening – the sun is going into overdrive. It’s more active now than it’s been for a decade, sending eruptions of super-heated plasma and vast waves of radiation towards our planet, with the potential to disrupt our lives in dramatic ways. Using the latest satellite images, and the expertise of Britain’s leading solar scientists, Kate Humble and Helen Czerski reveal the inner workings of our very own star, and the influence its mysterious cycles of activity have on our planet.