Our daily star is currently in a minimum of activity in its 11-year cycle. There have been very few spots on the surface of the Sun recently. Now we are informed that we have become witnesses of the beginning of the new, 25th solar cycle.
It was initiated by a very small spot seen on the star by a Pole, Tomasz Mrozek, who works at the Astronomical Institute of the University of Wroclaw and the Institute of Solar Physics at the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
"This is a very, very small spot in the area in which the magnetic field has such a characteristic system that clearly shows that it is a new activity cycle, and I was surprised that no one has written about it yet, this stain probably has been on the Sun for a few hours "- said Dr. Mrozek in an interview for Radio Wrocław.
The noticed small spot on the surface of the Sun is not such a common spot, because the magnetic field in its vicinity has a characteristic distribution. Well, they always show bipolarity. The new spot has poles reversed with respect to the spots from the previous cycle.
According to the latest NASA scientists' calculations, the minimum activity of our daily star is forecast for 2023. Researchers believe that the new, 25th solar cycle may be one of the least active in the history of our observation of the Sun.
Does the low solar activity affect the climate on our planet, as many astronomers and meteorologists claim? We still do not know, but maybe we will see it in the coming years.
