By Ron Cowen
The solar merry-go-round never stops. Carried by the sun’s rotation, intense magnetic activity that suddenly appears at the eastern edge of the solar disk will disappear in just 14 days. Space-weather forecasters get little advance notice of solar storms that may erupt and head toward Earth when these hidden regions emerge, potentially harming satellites and knocking out electric-power grids.
By detecting sound waves that have traveled through the sun, two physicists have found a way to view disturbances on the sun’s hidden half. The technique provides a glimpse of stormy weather patterns a week to 10 days before they come into view.