14 DAY TRIAL // It happens once every 11 years and the world has survived countless events such as this, so the upcoming solar magnetic flip shouldn’t really worry anyone, scientists say in an effort to tame down the panic.
The next few months are set to bring the reverse in polarity of the Sun, but researchers say the event will not spark an increase in solar storms or other phenomena that could damage the Earth and the planet’s inhabitants, Space.com reports.
The polarity flip isn’t even that much of an event since it occurs on a regular schedule, namely every 11 years, when the star’s activity cycle peaks.
Not only is it not damaging for the Earth, but it could actually help protect us. According to the physicists, the polarity reversal will cause the “current sheet,” the surface extending out from the solar equator, to become wavier.
This will, in turn, make for a more efficient barrier against galactic cosmic rays that can damage spacecraft that aren’t protected by the Earth’s atmosphere.