Sun's Magnetic Field Will Soon Flip Say Solar Physicists

Posted on August 7, 2013

Solar physicists say the sun's magnetic field is about to flip. The sun's field changes polarity about every 11 years.

Todd Hoeksema, a solar physicist at Stanford University, says in a NASA release, "It looks like we're no more than 3 to 4 months away from a complete field reversal. This change will have ripple effects throughout the solar system."

NASA says the reversal of the sun's magnetic field is a huge event that can impact the entire heliosphere, which extends well beyond the solar system and even has a tail. NASA's release says the polarity reversal can stir up stormy space weather around Earth. Cosmic rays are also affected by the polarity change.

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