Jammu, Nov. 19 -- A new way uncovered by astronomers to reconstruct the Sun's past polar magnetic behaviour by digging into historical solar images taken at the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO) more than 100 years ago provide clues to it's future.
For over a century, scientists have tried to decipher the Sun's mysterious rhythms, patterns of sunspots, flares, and magnetic storms that can affect everything from satellite operations to power grids on Earth. One of the key pieces of this solar puzzle lies in the polar magnetic fields of the Sun, which help shape each solar cycle and hold the crucial key for predicting future solar activity. As direct measurements of the polar magnetic fields of the Sun only began in the 1970s, we have very...