Cycling Through the Solar Cycle

Looking for the aurora? Make sure you know where you're going...

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By Eric Snitil

Story Created: Feb 25, 2011 at 9:36 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Feb 25, 2011 at 9:36 PM AKDT

 If you live in Alaska, you've probably seen a few auroras. But in the past few years, if you've stepped outside and looked up, the sky has looked a little less colorful.

According to D&M photographer Daryl Pederson, the aurora activity in past few years has been a challenge to shoot. "There's just not that much activity on the sun at all," Pederson said.

Scientists call it solar minimum: It's a period when sunspots on the surface of the sun literally melt away. Sunspots are what generate the solar flares that produce auroras. They come and go in eleven year cycles and this one has been particularly potent.

National Weather Service Societal Impacts Manager Don Moore said we went through a period of almost 200 days without sunspots. "It's been a very long duration of the solar minimum," Moore said.

But like a roller coaster, what goes down must come back up.

"We're going to go into a maximum. May 2013 is when we should peak out," Moore said.

While we know a maximum is coming, this one comes with more questions than answers.

According to Moore, the last time we saw a solar maximum, technology was much different. "We didn't have everybody walking around with a smart phone with GPS," he said.

Solar activity is notorious for causing communication and GPS disruptions. But in 2003, the last time we had a significant solar event, cell phones barely made calls let alone gave instructions on when to make that next left turn.

According to NOAA Space Scientist Joe Kunches, the GPS world is going to see some funny things; "We're going to see positions that are wrong or unable to lock onto signals."

And it's not just your iPhone that could act up. Solar flares can have far-reaching impacts for millions of people.

"It does impact the electrical we use to heat our homes. So there's significant impacts. They talk of impacts in the trillions of dollars," Moore said.

How our technology fares will no doubt shed more light on just how important solar forecasting is becoming. Until then, whether you carry a smartphone or not just look up--It's going to be one heck of a show.

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