A new study suggests that the planets in our solar system may be helping to keep the sun calmer than other sun-like stars, potentially lowering the risk of powerful solar storms that could disrupt modern technology on Earth.
The research, led by scientists at the German research laboratory Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), proposes that the sun’s flares, magnetic storms and bursts of radiation are shaped not only by internal processes but also by the gravitational pull of Venus, Earth and Jupiter. These subtle tidal forces appear to act like a “pacemaker” for the sun, rhythmically influencing its inner magnetic systems in a regular cycle, according to a statement.
“This effect is so important because the sun is most active during the highest field strengths,” Frank Stefani, a physicist at HZDR’s Institute of Fluid Dynamics and lead author of the study, said in the statement. “This is when the most intense events occur with huge geomagnetic storms like the Carrington event of 1859, when polar lights could even be seen in Rome and Havana and high voltages damaged telegraph lines.”
If a storm of similar intensity occurred today, it could potentially knock out satellites, communications networks and power grids around the world. However, the new study suggests that the very structure of our solar system may help reduce the likelihood that such a catastrophe will occur.
“If the sun’s magnetic field remains at lower field strengths for a significantly longer period of time, this reduces the likelihood of very violent events,” Stefani added.
According to the team’s model, roughly every 11 years, the tidal forces from Venus, Earth and Jupiter align in a “highly self-consistent manner,” subtly influencing the sun’s magnetic dynamo, which is the mechanism that generates its magnetic field.
The researchers also examined a lesser-known cycle called the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO), a roughly 1.7-year fluctuation in the sun’s magnetic field. Their calculations indicate that this cycle closely matches observed solar patterns and may have a dampening effect on overall solar activity.
“We consider this phenomenon as a promising candidate to explain the fact that the solar activity is much more benign than that of other sun-like stars,” the researchers wrote in the new study.
While the sun is currently reaching a peak in its 11-year activity cycle — marked by more sunspots and solar flares, as well as ramped-up auroras here on Earth — its most powerful outbursts are surprisingly mild compared to those of similar stars. According to the new study, the strongest radiation eruptions from our sun are still 10 to 100 times weaker than those observed from other sun-like stars in the galaxy.
The sun’s relatively calm nature may have even helped make Earth capable of sustaining life, the new study suggests. Unlike a very active star, which could bombard a planet with intense radiation and charged particles, the sun’s low activity likely provided a stable space weather environment, shielding Earth from extreme solar radiation and supporting the emergence of life.
“Having said that, we are well aware of quite a couple of missing pieces in our synchronization jigsaw,” the researchers wrote. “We cordially invite theoreticians and numericists to join us in this journey.”
The new study was published Aug. 6 in the journal Solar Physics.