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  Ask an Astrophysicist  The Question  (Submitted December 05,
1996)  Based on media info, I'm trying to find out something
about the "new" solar cycle we are going into. What possible
affect would result from the flaring that is supposed to take
place. I'm wondering about affects and potential MAGNITUDE in
areas in Electromagnetism/daily activities, possible biological
affects, and elemental. I realize that all of these may not be
in your field of expertise, but would welcome any info you could
pass on.  The Answer  Your questions are well beyond the HEASARC
area of expertise. I tried a bit of WWW surfing and didn't find
anything very satisfying, however you should try some as well.
The thing to remember is that the solar cycle is about 11 years
so there won't be anything happening that hasn't happened
before. Predictions of the strength of the maximum haven't been
terribly accurate in the past (the last one about 1990 was
supposed to be much s