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Solar Maximum may be on its way sooner than we thought. The Sun is quickly approaching a major peak in solar activity, and some scientists think that peak could be early by as much as 2 years bringing the timeline towards the end of this year.
One of the tell-tale signs is X-class solar flares being on the rise, and one of them has apparently already scored a direct hit on Earth and this past week another one caused a radio blackout for 30 minutes in the Pacific Ocean and the western United States, according to NASA.
Otago University's Professor of Physics, Dr Craig Rodger joins us with the details.
Visible light images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory show the Sun at solar minimum in December 2019 and the last solar maximum in April 2014. Sunspots freckle the Sun during solar maximum; the dark spots are associated with solar activity. Photo: NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory/Joy Ng