All articles tagged with #solar cycle
A study using data from the SOHO and GONG networks confirms the Sun's magnetic dynamo is generated near the tachocline, roughly 200,000 km (about 124,000 miles) below the Sun's visible surface, with rotating plasma bands tracing a butterfly pattern that aligns with the 11-year sunspot cycle. This supports tachocline-based dynamo models and could improve space-weather predictions, with findings published in Scientific Reports.
After peaking in Oct 2024, the aurora borealis is fading as the solar cycle moves toward minimum; recent displays have even been seen in Florida, Mexico, and other southern urban skies. To maximize your chances before they fade, plan a high-latitude, dark-sky trip during clear, moonless nights, seek locations away from light pollution, and monitor space-weather forecasts for geomagnetic activity, staying flexible with dates and destinations.
Auroras lit up the South West of the UK (Devon, Cornwall and the Channel Islands) due to coronal mass ejections from the Sun at the height of solar cycle 25. Experts say 2025–2026 is the likely peak, with some forecasts suggesting the next maximum could be as late as 2037. Strong geomagnetic storms push auroras farther south, but visibility depends on dark skies and viewing conditions. To see them, monitor Met Office Space Weather alerts and head to dark-sky sites away from light pollution, using long-exposure photography; the article notes several South West dark-sky locations.
A record-breaking study revealed that the giant sunspot AR 13664, which grew to 15 times Earth's width, produced nearly 1,000 solar flares, including powerful X-class flares, and triggered Earth's most intense geomagnetic storm in over 20 years, highlighting the sun's immense power during solar maximum.
SpaceX plans to lower the orbits of approximately 4,400 Starlink satellites from 550 km to 480 km in 2026 to enhance safety and reduce collision risks, especially as solar activity decreases and atmospheric drag lessens, impacting satellite decay times and space debris management.
A strong geomagnetic storm caused by solar activity has increased the chances of viewing the northern lights across 18 U.S. states on Wednesday night, although weather conditions like cloudiness may prevent sightings in some areas like Portland.
ESA's Solar Orbiter captured the first close-up images of the Sun's magnetic field near its south pole, revealing faster-than-expected magnetic migration and providing new insights into the solar cycle and polar magnetic dynamics.
For the first time, the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter has captured images of the Sun's polar magnetic field, revealing that plasma and magnetic activity at the poles move faster than previously thought, providing new insights into the Sun's 11-year activity cycle.
The upcoming period around the fall equinox could see a brief but spectacular increase in Northern Lights displays due to the Russell-McPherron Effect, which causes more intense geomagnetic storms when Earth's magnetic field aligns with the solar wind, especially during the sun's peak activity cycle.
NASA's recent study indicates that solar activity, which had been decreasing since the 1980s and was at its weakest in 2008, has started to increase again, potentially leading to more space weather events like solar storms and flares, which can impact Earth and space missions.
Scientists have uncovered the long-standing mystery of why sunspots last so long by using a new observation technique that reveals a balance between magnetic fields and pressure, confirming that sunspots are in magnetohydrostatic equilibrium. This discovery, made possible by advanced polarized light analysis with the GREGOR solar telescope, enhances understanding of solar activity and could improve space weather forecasting.
A recent study has finally explained why sunspots remain stable for long periods, revealing that magnetic and pressure forces within sunspots are in perfect balance, thanks to improved observation techniques that remove atmospheric interference. This breakthrough enhances our understanding of solar stability and could improve predictions of space weather events that impact Earth.
A large, unstable sunspot (region 4114) facing Earth has emitted its strongest flare yet, an X.12 class solar flare, causing radio blackouts and disruptions, with more eruptions expected as the Sun is in its solar maximum phase. The flare was electromagnetic, not accompanied by a coronal mass ejection, and the region is predicted to remain active until it rotates out of view.
The Solar Orbiter spacecraft captured the first detailed images of the sun's south pole, revealing that its magnetic poles have flipped during solar maximum, a phenomenon that helps scientists understand solar activity and improve space weather predictions.
The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter has captured the first-ever images of the sun's south pole, revealing complex magnetic activity and providing new insights into solar behavior and magnetic field dynamics, especially during the sun's active solar maximum phase.