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Sun's magnetic field is about to flip

By T.K. Randall
August 8, 2013 · Comment icon

33 comments

Image Credit: NASA

NASA believes that the Sun's magnetic field will soon undergo a significant but harmless change.

It might sound worrying but the Sun's magnetic field actually flips all the time - approximately once every 11 years. Observatory measurements indicate that the next flip will be happening very soon and the Sun's poles are already beginning to change. Aside from a few climatic changes here on Earth however the event should not have any appreciable effect on our planet.

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

You won't be able to see it, but it might affect the Earth's climate - the sun's magnetic field is going through a big change.

Source: CBS News | Comments (33)

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Recent comments on this story

#24 Posted by Tau Ceti Xeta 10 years ago

It's fairly much as expected. You wouldn't want to set your watch by the solar cycle, it's not something you can predict with 100% accuracy, but this solar max (and therefore pole reversal) is about when it was predicted to be. Wrong. According to NASA the sun is running late! The magnetic poles flipped February 15, 2001. Today is August 10, 2013. 11 Years ??? http://science.nasa....001/ast15feb_1/

#25 Posted by Ad hoc 10 years ago

told you we were all going to die. -_-

#26 Posted by Waspie_Dwarf 10 years ago

Wrong. According to NASA the sun is running late! The magnetic poles flipped February 15, 2001. Today is August 10, 2013. 11 Years ??? http://science.nasa....001/ast15feb_1/ Which parts of the following did you fail to understand? You wouldn't want to set your watch by the solar cycle, it's not something you can predict with 100% accuracy

#27 Posted by SkepticalB 10 years ago

Does this mean a possible reverse in "global warming" as we weren't really watching it closely 11 years ago were we? The suns rays will still reach us the same way, Its still a giant burning ball of gas

#28 Posted by Jeremiah65 10 years ago

I'm not a "sun-t@rd but recently there was a huge coronal hole....fascinating....they said it had something to do with the magnetic fields. Maybe that was the sign that indicated the poles are about to flip.

#29 Posted by Professor T 10 years ago

Does this mean that the light coming from the sun will be upside down?

#30 Posted by Ad hoc 10 years ago

Does this mean that the light coming from the sun will be upside down? Yup. everything will be inverted. Sunny days will be black and shadows will glow.

#31 Posted by Xpeople 10 years ago

I wonder if anyone knows if the earth's magnetic field flips

#32 Posted by Waspie_Dwarf 10 years ago

I wonder if anyone knows if the earth's magnetic field flips Yes it does. They occur, on average, every 450,000 years, although it is some what random and can occur in as little as 100,000 years or as much as a million years apart.

#33 Posted by Xpeople 9 years ago

Yes it does. They occur, on average, every 450,000 years, although it is some what random and can occur in as little as 100,000 years or as much as a million years apart. The information from the ocean floor about magnetic field seem to suggest this. Thank you

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