Matthew Twombly

Oct 15, 2024 | scientificamerican.com | Mark Fischetti |Matthew Twombly

Long ago we humans defined a day as the time it takes Earth to make one rotation about its axis, with one sunrise and one sunset. Our predecessors partitioned that day into 24 hours. But if Earth’s rotation slows down a little, it takes a bit longer than one day to complete it. That has been happening for many years.

Aug 1, 2024 | scientificamerican.com | Clara Moskowitz |Matthew Twombly

Expect Auroras, Solar Flares and More Space Weather from the Solar MaximumSpace weather is heating up in our current solar cycle peakAurora sightings may become more common, and satellite communications and power grids could be disrupted, as solar activity peaks. Our nearest star is always volatile, but its magnetic action waxes and wanes on an 11-year loop. The sun is thought to be in a peak now, although scientists will need another year or two to analyze data before they can say for sure.