WHAT'S NEXT IN THE SOLAR CYCLE?

Written by: Bob Metcalfe

Got travel plans for 2013? Your GPS may be in danger!

2013 has been targeted as the peak of the next coming solar cycle, an approximately 11-year period between the high and low activity of sunspots on the sun.

Sunspot activity has a very cyclical and somewhat predictable occurrence, at least over the last hundred years or so. Right now, we are at the bottom (least active) part of solar cycle 23. It is one of the quietest times in the history of man's observations of the sun.

So what does this mean for you? An active sun is known for frequent solar flares, which are HUGE explosions of energy on the surface of the sun. These create "cosmic storms" that hurl towards earth, disrupting everything from radio communications to satellite functionality.

In fact, at the peak of the next cycle, our GPS system may be quite at risk. In small bursts of solar activity, our modern GPS satellite system has been known to have problems. Since it is a relatively new technology, it has not yet been fully "tested" against its vulnerability to a truly active sun.

But if there is a positive spin to this... increased solar activity is usually accompanied by an increase in the aurora borealis, or the "northern lights".

For more on the article from NASA, click here.