Extreme Solar Storm Hit Earth During Sun S Quiet Period 10 000 Years Ago
The sun produces a powerful magnetic field which varies over the course of roughly 11-year-long cycles. At the end of these periods, the polarity of the magnetic field flips, meaning that the north and south poles switch. Scientists refer to the end of this cycle as a solar minimum, which is generally thought to be the period when the sun is least active. The middle of the cycle—the solar maximum—tends to be a period of high activity....