Thanks to the Sun, life exists on Earth. But in addition to the obvious reasons for the influence of the Sun on our life, scientists are constantly discovering more and more new interconnections between the phenomena occurring on the Sun and what happens in the life of every person.
1. Solar poles and space exploration
According to NASA, in 2012, the sun's north pole changed its polarity from positive to negative. And in 2013, the South Pole also suddenly changed its polarity from negative to positive. The consequences of these changes in the solar electromagnetic field will be felt for a very long time, although they are not too serious. Changes in the electromagnetic field have even been detected by Voyager space probes at the edge of our solar system. Also, cosmic rays can cause serious problems for astronauts and lead to the failure of space probe equipment. What's more, scientists have suggested that cosmic rays also affect the Earth's global climate.
2. Source of life and life span
In 2007, the results of a study by scientists from the Psybernetics Research Group were published, according to which it was found that those born during the three-year peaks of activity in the 11-year sunspot cycle always have a shorter life expectancy than other people. Researchers surveyed more than 300,000 Maine citizens for 29 years. It turned out that those born during the peak of solar activity live 1-1.5 years less. Men were somewhat more susceptible to this effect, and also more prone to various diseases. In addition, solar radiation has long-term effects on human genetics and evolution. During relatively recent history, chaotic bursts of solar radiation during solar storms, as scientists believe,have led to reduced human fertility and reduced potential life span.
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3. The connection between solar activity and suicide
Russian researcher Oleg Shumilov discovered unexpected facts when studying records of geomagnetic activity from 1948 to 1997. He found that geomagnetic activity peaked three times every year: from March to May, July and October. When he compared data on the number of suicides in the city of Kirovsk over the same period, he found a significant correlation between geomagnetic activity and the number of suicides. In 2006, his findings were confirmed by Australians at Bioelectromagnetics, who found a similar relationship.
4. Sunspots and significant events in history
The Russian scientist A. L. Chizhevsky presented to the American Meteorological Society his research on the correlation between global events and 11-year solar cycles. According to Chizhevsky, each 11-year cycle occurred in four stages: minimum solar activity, increased sunspot activity, maximum sunspot activity, and decreased activity. The activity of the human community proceeded in a similar way. Based on this, Chizhevsky created the Index of Mass Human Excitability. By imposing it on the entire history from 500 BC. BC. Before 1922 in 72 different countries, Chizhevsky found that 80 percent of all significant events, such as wars, revolutions, riots, and mass displacements, occurred during maximum solar activity.
5. Sun and arthritis
Recently, the possibility of a connection between solar storms and diseases such as arthritis has been proven. Although the reason for this relationship is unknown, further research may lead to the possibility of prevention of this disease. The authors of the work analyzed the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis and giant cell arteritis and found that within 12 months after the peak of geomagnetic activity, the number of new cases of these diseases increased sharply, and with a minimum of activity it decreased just as sharply.
6. Solar wind and flu
The sunspot cycle affects human health. For a long time, it became clear that the occurrence of serious influenza pandemics corresponds to 11-year cycles on the Sun. One theory is that the effect of sunspots on the world's weather could delay the migration of migratory birds that carry the virus. As a result, these birds infect other birds for a longer time, which then transmit the disease to chickens, ducks and other poultry. Some even suggest that the virus is born in outer space and is carried into the Earth's atmosphere by the solar wind during its activity.
7. Stock market and peak solar activity
In the early 20th century, a theory emerged that the American economy had something to do with sunspot cycles. Since then, this theory has been repeatedly criticized, but the fact remains that economists still point out that the market does have 11-year activity cycles that roughly coincide with the solar activity cycle. Also, solar activity affects the growth of vegetation and crops.
8. Earthquakes and the sun
The study of earthquakes that have occurred over the past 400 years has shown their significant correlation with high solar activity. The data from the same study also showed that during the periods of minimal solar activity, there were several times fewer earthquakes. The researchers suggested that the increase in seismic events during more activity on the Sun may be due to the increased pressure on the Earth's magnetosphere due to the higher solar wind speed.
9. The effect of sunlight on physical and mental health
Everyone knows that excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays can be damaging to health. It turns out that the sun can cause not only burns and skin cancer, but also mental illness. Light therapy has previously been shown to be effective for patients suffering from certain types of depression, mania and dementia. Not exposing pregnant women to sunlight can increase the chances of their future children developing schizophrenia. However, a 2004 study found that over-exposure to intense UV rays leads to serious mental illness. During solar storms, the amount of ultraviolet radiation increases by as much as 300 percent. In the past 55 years, when the number of solar storms has increased significantly, there has been an increase in the incidence of mental illness.
10. Cycles of sunspots and heavy rainfall
Kurt Stager, a paleoclimatologist at Paul Smith College in New York, has compiled data on precipitation in East Africa over the past 100 years and compared it to 11-year solar cycles. Stager found that heavy rainfall in East Africa always preceded peak sunspot activity. But flooding caused by downpours in East Africa is causing many serious problems, including landslides and the spread of diseases such as Rift Valley fever.