Next week is the official start of fall season, but did you know that the Sun is also gearing up for a new “space” season?
Did you know that there are seasons in space? It's generally referred to as space weather. Officials with the NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the sun experiences different cycles, similar to the earth's seasons. Dr. Elsayed Talaat, the Director of NOAA’s Office of Projects, Planning, and Analysis says the Sun is gearing up to begin a new phase of increased solar activity.
“I’m very interested in making sure that we’re prepared for this solar activity. We have become a much more technological society in the last 50 years, and so the impact of solar activity and space weather is going to be felt more and more,” Talaat said.
He says you may not yet feel the effects of space weather on a daily basis. However, solar flares, for example, impact our satellites and our astronauts. That's one reason why NOAA and NASA are monitoring the sun's activity.