Cosmic Mystery Solved? New Evidence Shows Planets Influence Sun's Magnetic Cycles

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Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the University of Latvia have proposed the first comprehensive physical explanation for the sun⁘s various activity cycles. They identify vortex-shaped currents on the sun, known as Rossby waves, as mediators between the tidal influences of Venus , Earth, and Jupiter and the sun⁘s magnetic activity. This research presents a consistent model for solar cycles of different lengths and offers a strong argument supporting the previously controversial planetary hypothesis. The findings have been published in the journal Solar Physics .

Although the sun, being near to us, is the best-researched star, many questions about its physics have not yet been completely answered. These include the rhythmic fluctuations in solar activity. The most famous of these is that, on average, the sun reaches a radiation maximum every eleven years ⁘ which experts refer to as the Schwabe cycle. This cycle of activity occurs because the sun⁘s magnetic field changes during this period and eventually reverses polarity. This, in itself, is not unusual for a star ⁘ if it weren⁘t for the fact that the Schwabe cycle is remarkably stable.

The Schwabe cycle is overlaid by other, less obvious fluctuations in activity ranging from a few hundred days to several hundred years, each named after their discoverers. Although there have already been various attempts to explain these cycles and mathematical calculations, there is still no comprehensive physical model.

For some years, Dr. Frank Stefani of HZDR⁘s Institute of Fluid Dynamics has been an advocate of the ⁘planetary hypothesis⁘ because it is clear that the planets⁘ gravity exerts a tidal effect on the sun, similar to that of the moon on the Earth. This effect is strongest every 11.07 years: whenever the three planets Venus, Earth, and Jupiter are aligned with the sun in a particularly striking line, comparable to a spring tide on Earth when there is a new or full moon. This coincides conspicuously with the Schwabe cycle.

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