IIA scientists studied the solar chromospheric images from Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (Tamil Nadu).
- They discovered that the width of the supergranular cells on the solar surface during the minimum year of the solar cycle is strongly related to the number of sunspots seen during the subsequent solar cycle maximum.
- This method can be used in space weather forecasting.
About Space weather
- Space Weather describes the variations in the space environment between the sun and Earth.
- The active elements of space weather are particles, electromagnetic energy, and magnetic field.
- Solar activity associated with space weather are
- Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs): They are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun’s corona (the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere).
- Solar Flares: An intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots.
- Solar Wind: The solar wind continuously flows outward from the Sun and consists mainly of protons and electrons in a state known as a plasma.
- High-Speed Solar Wind: It is more powerful than regular solar wind, and it streams from areas of the sun known as coronal hole.
About Solar Cycle
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