The Sun is about to flip upside down

It sounds like an event worthy of a sequel to the 1998 film Armageddon.Nasa has said it expects the Sun to flip upside down within the next three weeks, with the impact being felt across the Solar System.But before you quit your job and tell your boss what you really think of them, relax… the phenomenon actually happens every 11 years.The cycle will see the Sun’s magnetic field reverse polarity. At worst, there will be satellite interference and a few radio blackouts.There’s also an advantage to the switch if you’re a fan of the Northern Lights. Auroras are set to be more wide-ranging, visible and frequent after the event.Researchers at Stanford University’s Wilcox Solar Observatory have monitored the Sun’s magnetic field every day for nearly 40 years, but the cause of the magnetic shift is not fully understood yet.Solar physicist Todd Hoeksama explained: ‘It’s kind of like a tide coming in or going out. Each little wave brings a little more water in, and eventually you get to the full reversal.‘It’s not a catastrophic event, it is a large scale event that has some real implications, but it’s not something we need to worry about.’(metro.co.uk)ANN.Az