(CNN) — Scientists have made a discovery about the sun’s “heartbeat” that they say indicates that Earth’s Northern Hemisphere will experience a deep freeze in 15 years.
The sun has a “solar heartbeat,” or cycle of activity, that produces energy that causes sunspots and solar flares. Scientists at Northumbria University in northeast England developed a model that illustrates the history of these heartbeats and that predicts there will be irregularities in them. The model suggests that solar activity will fall by 60% during the 2030s.
According to the Royal Astronomical Society, the researchers studied the sun’s magnetic field activity between 1976 and 2008. They compared their predictions with average sunspot numbers, another strong marker of solar activity, the society reported.
The researchers’ model showed a 97% level of accuracy, said Valentina Zharkova, a Northumbria University mathematics professor.
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