Lock up your phones, hide your computers, fashion unusual aluminum headware, it's solar maximum time. The coming year will be the peak of the eleven year solar activity cycle. And this one's a biggie. Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) says "The next sunspot cycle will be 30 percent to 50 percent stronger than the previous one." Solar activity refers to the quantity of solar flares and sun spots, which fire extra EMF radiation at the earth. This can cause disruption to mobile phone networks and interference with electronic systems.

NASA experts are predicting that 2012's solar max will be the biggest since 1958, when the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, were visible as far south as Mexico. This beautiful phenomenon is a visible effect of solar radiation on Earth. “A similar maximum now would be noticed by its effect on cell phones, GPS, weather satellites and many other modern technologies,” say NASA experts.

The new year promises to be particularly interesting for apocalypse junkies. As well as the unusually high solar activity, an ancient Mayan prediction for the end of the world also crops up. What the actual effect on modern technology is, remains to be seen. The date for the Mayan apocalypse prediction is the winter solstice – December 21, 2012.

Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com

(photo source: NASA)