Solar activity to reach peak in coming months

Disna Mudalige

Solar activity is expected to reach a peak in the coming months of this year, Colombo University Physics Department Senior Lecturer Prof Chandana Jayaratne said yesterday. Prof Jayaratne said 2013 is supposed to be the year of Solar Maximum. A solar maximum is a normal period of greatest solar activity in the 11 year solar cycle of the Sun.

The solar cycle is the periodic change in the sun's activity. During solar maximum, usually a large number of sunspots appear. The increased energy output of solar maximum can impact global climate.

The last Solar Maximum occurred around 2000.

Prof Jayaratne said a rise in global temperature could be experienced during the solar max.

However, he said it is nothing to panic about since it would not have adverse effects on the earth.

He said solar activity seems to be much lower than expected so far, adding that NASA scientists are now looking into reasons for the silence of the Sun.