Solar Maximums are times when our Sun is in a maximum activity state. There will be large numbers of sunspots, flares and prominences. Prominences are loops of magnetic fields with hot gas trapped inside. Sometimes, as the fields become unstable, the they will erupt and rise off of the Sun in just a few minutes or hours. Beautiful prominences like these become more common as we approach solar maximum. What does this mean for use? Possible communication blackouts, satellite problems, electrical interruption, weather changes, auroras.

For more information, check:

http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast20jan_1.htm

What are Sunspots?
While the exact naure of Sunspots is not known, there has been much research done. It is known that the spots are actually color areas of the Sun, around 2,000 degrees K cooler than the rest of the Sun's surface. They also appear to be areas of intense magnetic fields.

Sunspots photographs
The following are a series of images taken at the Hopkins Phoenix Observatory on Saturday, 13 November 1999.

Equipment:
Celestron C-8 (8") Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope with full aperture mylar Sun filter, Modified QuickCam CCD camera with Apple Macintosh PowerBook G3 266 MHz.

While the Y2K stuff never really concerned us at HPO SOFT, we use Macs, I think all the preparation may be good. The new year will bring another threat that has not been publicized much.

Our Sun goes through cycles. It is approaching an 11 year solar maximum. What that means is that the Sun is approaching a time of maximum activity, maximum sun spots, maximum solar flares. While the Earth has survived many of these, this will be the first time we have experienced such a maximum with our current level of satellites and computers. You may recall several years back the Providence of Quebec Canada had all power knocked out for a day due to a Solar flare (produced a kind of EMP - electromagnetic pulse - the same thing that is produced by nuclear weapons). This was not during a Solar maximum, however. There is also the chance of major weather changes, even the start of an ice age. While nothing may happen other than some extreme auroras, there is an increased chance that something major may. Check the NASA web site for SOHO, (SOLAR AND HELIOSPHERIC OBSERVATORY) at http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/

Also from: http://www.sec.noaa.gov/SW2000.html

"Space Weather Effects on Terrestrial Systems, Though Possible, Are Unlikely on New Year's Day 2000"

"There is an unfortunate and widespread misperception that solar-driven interference with computer systems, cell phones and communications networks, navigation systems such as GPS and LORAN, and electric power grids, is expected to occur at exactly the same time as the transition period for Y2K programs and computers. In fact, the disturbances originating from the sun, commonly known as space weather events, and consequent effects on the listed systems are likely to occur erratically anytime through the years 2000-2002. Most of the effects will cluster in the three years around the peak of the sunspot cycle expected in 2000. (Computer networks connected by land lines are not likely to be affected- though long-distance electric power grids will be.) NOAA's Space Environment Center predicts that one to four extremely strong events and three to 60 severe events will occur sometime during the period around the solar peak, but is unable to predict weeks in advance the day or month of the storms. Given the uncertainty in the timing of the storms, the a priori odds of one occurring at random on New Year's Day 2000 are about five percent; forecasts will become sharper as the day grows nearer and will rise if the sun is in a particularly active state at that time. The intensity of the storms, their effects, and the frequency with which they are expected to occur are described at http://sec.noaa.gov/NOAAscales/ "

Solar Activity
Our Sun gives off bursts of particles. The following is a NASA image of a HE II 304 Å eruptive prominence with an insert showing the relative size of the Earth. This gives one a better perspective of how insignificant we are compared to the Sun and what gets blown off of the Sun regularly.

Click on Image

 Check: http://www.sec.noaa.gov/
Providing space weather alerts and warnings to the nation and the world for disturbances that can affect people and equipment working in space and on Earth