Solar Cycle 25

The Predictions
The sun will reach the peak of its current activity cycle in 2024, one year earlier than previous estimates, according to experts at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in the United States.

The revised forecast now places the peak time of activity of Solar Cycle 25, known as the "solar maximum", between January and October 2024, according to a statement from NOAA. The peak will be earlier, stronger and last longer than estimates made in 2019.

The solar cycle describes a period of approximately 11.7 years of solar activity, driven by the Sun's magnetic field and indicated by the frequency and intensity of visible sunspots on the surface. For example, during solar minimum there are almost no sunspots visible on the sun, while hundreds can be seen during solar maximum.

What do we notice about this?

When energetic particles and magnetic fields are released from the Sun during events such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, Earth can sometimes find itself in the line of fire.

When this happens, our protective magnetic "bubble" known as the magnetosphere pushes harmful energy away from Earth and traps it in zones called the Van Allen radiation belts. These doughnut-shaped belts of radiation can swell when the sun's activity increases.

But our protective shield is not invincible.

During particularly strong space weather events - which occur more frequently during solar maximum - Earth's magnetic field is disrupted and geomagnetic storms can enter the magnetosphere, leading to widespread radio and power outages, as well as endangering astronauts and satellites in an orbit around the Earth. A notable example occurred in 1989 when a CME accompanied a solar flare and plunged the entire province of Quebec, Canada, into an electrical blackout that lasted about 12 hours, according to NASA.

However, not all interferences with the magnetosphere are destructive, and one disturbance in particular gives rise to a remarkable show — auroras . The phenomenon is known as the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Lights (aurora australis) in the Southern Hemisphere and is activated by energetic particles that are diverted towards the Earth's poles and collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere.

Many geomagnetic storms produce beautiful auroras. Solar activity can have a major impact on our technological world, which is why advanced notifications and accurate forecasts are essential to limit potential damage and of course to give aurora hunters the information they need to capture incredible shows!

What is fun to watch when you have nothing to do is the camera that hangs in the far north of Norway: https://lyngen-north.com/aurora-borealis-live-cam

Or the one from Lapland, Sweden: https://lightsoverlapland.com/aurora-webcam/

If you want to know more about the sun or other astronomical weather phenomena, visit www.spaceweather.com

Have fun!