Astronomers predicted a rapid sharp decline in solar activity

The sun will become colder and dull by 2050, predict astronomers at the University of California at San Diego. This is reported by the site Phys.org with reference to the publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Scientists believe that these changes will be the result of a "grand minimum" of solar activity - a periodic event, during which the magnetic field of the Sun is weakened, less spots are formed and radiated less than ultraviolet.

In their study, specialists observed the emission of stars similar to the Sun for 20 years and on the basis of these data came to the conclusion that the sun will become dimmer by the middle of the 21st century.

Solar activity increases and decreases with a periodicity of 11 years. In this case, according to calculations of astronomers, by 2050 the temperature of the Sun can drop to the Maunder minimum, recorded in the period from about 1645 to 1715. Then, according to the calculations of astronomer Edward Walter Mauder, instead of the usual 40-50 thousand on the Sun formed only 50 spots. This segment in history is often associated with a small glacial period, but not all scientists agree with this view, believing that even with a strong fall in solar activity, global cooling can not happen.