The Solar System is about to feel the force of the Sun's power when its magnetic field "flips"

in the next few weeks (Dic 2013)

he sun's polarity is getting closer to flipping. The star's northern hemisphere's polarity has already reversed, and the southern hemisphere should follow suit soon, scientists say. Every 11 years or so, the two hemispheres of the sun reverse their polarity, creating a ripple effect that can be felt throughout the far reaches of the solar system. The sun is currently going through one of those flips in its cycle, scientists working at Stanford University's

Wilcox Solar Observatory said. They have monitored the sun's magnetic field since 1975.

The Sun switches its polarity once every 11 years

The sun's magnetic field changes polarity approximately every 11 years. It happens at the peak of each solar cycle as the sun's inner magnetic dynamo re-organizes itself. The sun's polar magnetic fields weaken, go to zero, and then emerge again with the

opposite polarity. This is a regular part of the solar cycle. The coming reversal will mark the midpoint of Solar Cycle 24. Half of 'Solar Max' will be behind us, with half yet to come. Just as Earth scientists watch our planet's polar regions for signs of climate change, solar physicists do the same thing for the sun. Magnetograms have been tracking the sun's polar magnetism since 1976, and they have recorded three grand reversalswith a fourth in the offing.

activity on the sun. That activity comes in and it affects the Earth's magnetic field. The planet's magnetic field affects technology on Earth such as GPS systems and power grids. The uptick in solar activity can also create brilliant auroras on Earth and other effects on certain planets of the solar system: Jupiter has storms and Saturn has auroras.
See more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34gNgaME86Y

Polarity reversal: a big event

Cosmic rays are also affected. These are high-energy particles accelerated to nearly light speed by supernova explosions and other violent events in the galaxy. Cosmic rays are a danger to astronauts and space probes, and some researchers say they might affect the cloudiness and climate of Earth. The polarity reversal affects us here on Earth because not only do we see more cosmic rays, but there's also more