The Sun's polarity flips every 11 years, and is not catastrophic

December 19, 2013 14:49

The Sun is set to 'flip upside down' within weeks as its magnetic field reverses polarity in an event that will send ripple effects throughout the solar system, writes Tomas Jivanda in the Independent, London, but there's little to worry about it, it seems.

'The Sun switches its polarity, flipping its magnetic north and south, once every eleven years through an internal mechanism about which little is understood,' says Jivanda.

He quotes Todd Hoeksema, director of the Wilcox Solar Observatory, as saying: 'One of the most noticeable effect on Earth will be a boost in the occurrence, range and visibility of auroras -- the Northern Lights. It's not a catastrophic event, it's a large scale event that has some real implications, but its not something we need to worry about.'

However, the swap could cause intergalactic weather fronts such as geomagnetic storms, which can interfere with satellites and cause radio blackouts, says Jivanda, here.

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