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In what ways will this solar magnetic ‘flip’ affect the Earth? The Sun, much like Earth, possesses a magnetic field, but unlike our planet’s relatively stable polarity, the Sun’s magnetic field undergoes a complete reversal approximately every 11 years. This remarkable phenomenon, known as a “flip,” signifies the halfway point of the Sun’s natural activity cycle, a period referred to as “solar maximum.” During this phase, the Sun reaches the peak of its energetic activity, characterized by an increase in the number and intensity of solar events. As solar maximum approaches, the Sun’s surface becomes significantly more dynamic, with frequent and powerful eruptions such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These dramatic releases of energy and charged particles can travel vast distances through space, sometimes reaching Earth. When they interact with our planet’s magnetic field, they have the potential to disrupt radio communications, interfere with GPS navigation systems, and even impact satellite operations. In some cases, they can trigger geomagnetic storms, which may cause fluctuations in power grids and other electrical infrastructure. One of the most visually stunning consequences of this heightened solar activity is the intensification of auroras, commonly known as the Northern and Southern Lights. These

A bizarre exoplanet whose orbit takes it from the frozen wastelands of its planetary system to the inner edge of its habitable zone is challenging astronomers’ concepts of what kinds of planets can potentially support life. The exoplanet HD 20794d orbits 82 Eridani, a magnitude +4.3 star that lies 19.7 light years away in the constellation of Eridanus, the River. It is the third planet to be found in the system – a fourth world thought to have been discovered in 2011 was subsequently ruled out. The two inner planets, HD 20794b and c, have a little over twice the mass of the Earth and orbit their Sun-like star every 18.3 and 89.6 days, respectively. HD 20794d, which was identified in 2015, has a mass 6.6 times greater than the Earth and orbits its star every 647 days. However, new studies by astronomers using the ESPRESSO and HARPS spectrographs at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have discovered something highly intriguing about HD 20794d. The planets in our Solar System all have roughly circular orbits, whereas comets have orbits that tend to be more elongated, bringing them close in to the Sun before they travel far out again. We call the

Though the Milky Way and Andromeda formed billions of years ago, evidence shows they have very different evolutionary histories despite sharing the same cosmological neighbourhood.