Sun May Soon Enter Long Quiet Phase

(NEWSER) - The sun may be heading for one of its dimmest periods in history, but that doesn't mean the big star is joining the battle against global warming, according to scientists. The sun hit a 100-year low in sunspot activity last year, reports the Telegraph. More»

Display could be visible as far south as Colorado

(NEWSER) - Bad news for telecommunications, good news for skywatchers: The sun is entering a busy period of its 11-year cycle, and solar flares are expect to affect the earth for the next several years, making the Northern Lights more spectacular and visible further south. A geomagnetic storm currently in progress is expected to make the aurora borealis visible as far south as Colorado tonight and potentially later in the week, reports the Los Angeles Times . More»

Researchers say they can provide 48 hours warning

(NEWSER) - Maybe we'll eventually be able to cross off solar flares as a possible way the world ends. Scientists at Stanford say they've developed a system to predict dangerous sunspots two days before they erupt, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . Using satellite data, they can detect the rumblings of solar storms deep beneath the surface. More»

Officials clash over whether to upgrade system

(NEWSER) - The peak in the 11-year cycle of solar flares happens next year, but electricity regulators have made little progress in deciding how much protection the power grid needs, the Wall Street Journal finds. They are reviewing records as far back as the 1859 "superstorm," the strongest solar storm ever recorded, to determine how quickly the system needs to be upgraded. A storm much weaker than the 1859 event caused most of Quebec to lose power, and some experts believe that a worst-case solar storm scenario could see American cities lose power for days or even weeks. More»

And maybe some salt: Scientists propose simple fix for world crisis

(NEWSER) - One in 6 people in the world faces a clean-water shortage, according to the United Nations—so scientists are proposing a quick fix. Dirty water can be rendered drinkable using a few odd ingredients: Sun, salt, dirt, and lime, NPR reports. The sun's rays can kill the germs in bottled water left out for six hours—but for this to work, the water has to be transparent. "You need to be able to read a newspaper through it. That means it's clear enough for the UV radiation to penetrate and kill the pathogens," says an expert. More»