The Sun has been remarkably active lately, so much so that . According to the sun watchers at the Space Weather Prediction Center, on August 8, the snapped a picture that was positively bedazzled with sunspots. Counting methods vary, but one count put the sunspot number at a whopping 337 that day.
That would be the largest number since 2001, during the peak of Solar Cycle 23. The sunspot number is highly correlated with solar storms and coronal mass ejections; more spots mean more magnetic activity and more chance for something to go . We’ve been pretty lucky so far with Solar Cycle 25; despite being much more active than the relatively lazy Cycle 24 and , most of this cycle’s outbursts have been directed away from Earth or only dealt us a glancing blow.
Seeing all those spots, though, makes us think it’s only a matter of time before we get hit with something that does more than . Having done our share of roofing, we can safely say it’s a pretty tough job. Everything is heavy, it’s either boiling hot or freezing cold, and one moment’s inattention can make for a very bad day.
Plus, the fiberglass shards in your skin at the end of the day can be incredibly annoying. On the other hand, a good roofing job is a thing of beauty, and there’s immense satisfaction in having been the one to do it. But, with apologies to Steve Miller, time keeps on slipping into the future, humans are expensive and unreliable, and someone will eventually try to automate humans out of prett.