Sun Reaches Maximum Again Astronomers have known for a while that solar activity cycles over a period of 11 years. At the height, solar flares erupt from the surface of the Sun almost every day, and the Earth is bombarded by coronal mass ejections. The most recent Solar Max crested in 2000, but after settling down only briefly, the Sun has roared back again with nearly the same level of activity. It's even brighter in the radio spectrum. This double peak happened during the last Solar Max as well, back in 1989. |