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Solar maximum
 
 
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Solar maximum or solar max is the period of greatest solar activity in the solar cycle
Solar cycle

The solar cycle, or the solar magnetic activity cycle, is the main source of periodic solar variation driving variations in space weather....
 of the sun
Sun

The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
. During solar maximum, sunspot
Sunspot

A sunspot is a region on the Sun's surface that is marked by intense magnetism activity, which inhibits convection, forming areas of reduced surface temperature....
s appear.

Solar maximum is contrasted with solar minimum
Solar minimum

Solar minimum is the period of least solar activity in the solar cycle of the sun. During this time, sunspot and solar flare activity diminishes, and often does not occur for days at a time....
. Solar maximum is the period when the sun's magnetic field lines are the most distorted due to the magnetic field on the solar equator rotating at a slightly faster pace than at the solar poles. The sun takes about 11 years to go from one solar maximum to another and 22 years to complete a full cycle (where the magnetic charge on the poles is the same).

last solar maximum was in 2001, and the next one should be sometime in 2012.






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Encyclopedia


Solar maximum or solar max is the period of greatest solar activity in the solar cycle
Solar cycle

The solar cycle, or the solar magnetic activity cycle, is the main source of periodic solar variation driving variations in space weather....
 of the sun
Sun

The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
. During solar maximum, sunspot
Sunspot

A sunspot is a region on the Sun's surface that is marked by intense magnetism activity, which inhibits convection, forming areas of reduced surface temperature....
s appear.

Solar maximum is contrasted with solar minimum
Solar minimum

Solar minimum is the period of least solar activity in the solar cycle of the sun. During this time, sunspot and solar flare activity diminishes, and often does not occur for days at a time....
. Solar maximum is the period when the sun's magnetic field lines are the most distorted due to the magnetic field on the solar equator rotating at a slightly faster pace than at the solar poles. The sun takes about 11 years to go from one solar maximum to another and 22 years to complete a full cycle (where the magnetic charge on the poles is the same).

Historic maxima

The last solar maximum was in 2001, and the next one should be sometime in 2012. On March 10, 2006 NASA
NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
 researchers announced that the next cycle would be the strongest since the historic maximum in 1958 in which the northern lights
Aurora (astronomy)

Auroras, sometimes called the northern and southern lights or aurorae , are natural light displays in the sky, usually observed at night sky, particularly in the Geographical pole....
 could be seen as far south as Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
, approximately 42° north of the equator. This projection was based on research done by Mausumi Dikpati
Mausumi Dikpati

Mausumi Dikpati is a scientist at the High Altitude Observatory operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. She is the first person to predict, in March 2006, the strength and timing of the next solar cycle based on simulations of the physics of the Sun....
 of the National Center for Atmospheric Research
National Center for Atmospheric Research

The National Center for Atmospheric Research is a non-governmental United States-based institute whose stated mission is "exploring and understanding our atmosphere and its interactions with the Sun, the oceans, the biosphere, and human society."...
 (NCAR).

Film

There is an IMAX
IMAX

IMAX is a film film format and projection standard created by Canada's IMAX Corporation. The traditional version of IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and than conventional film display systems....
 documentary
Documentary film

Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and new media productions that can be either direct-to-video or made for a televis...
 about solar maximum called Solarmax.

See also

  • solar minimum
    Solar minimum

    Solar minimum is the period of least solar activity in the solar cycle of the sun. During this time, sunspot and solar flare activity diminishes, and often does not occur for days at a time....
  • List of solar cycles
    List of solar cycles

    The following is a list of Solar variations , tracked since 1755.|}Graphics of historic solar cycles are at the SIDC pageSpots from multiple cycles can co-exist for some time and since it was discovered the sun reverses magnetic polarity one solar half cycle to the next, spots from different cycles can be told apart....


External links

  • - IMDB entry on Solarmax IMAX documentary