New Solar Cycle May Be Beginning

In this age of satellites and cell phones, bursts of solar storms effect us here on earth as never before. All manner of things, from the Northern Lights to telecommunications, air traffic, power grids and GPS systems are affected by the cyles of the sun.

Now, physicists specializing in studying the sun, suspect a new solar cycle is upon us. NASA's David Hathaway says that a new patch of magnetic activity on the our star's surface could be the beginnings of a sunspot that kicks off the next solar cycle. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has pictures.

The new cycle would peak between 2011 or 2012. We are currently at a solar minimum. The last burst of activity was from 2002-2003, when furious solar storms played havoc with many of our telecommunications and power grid systems here on Earth.

Diagram: NOAA Sec, Boulder Co, and Science @ NASA