| Solar Cycle Progression Updated Prediction (Experimental) |
Just as there is space weather, there is also space climate. The magnetic activity of the Sun waxes and wanes in a perpetual cycle that repeats itself approximately every 11 years. Solar storms and related space weather hazards become more frequent and more severe during the peak of each cycle, a period that is known as Solar Maximum. There have been 24 complete solar cycles since astronomers began numbering them in the eighteenth century based on telescopic observations of sunspots. We are now in Solar Cycle 25, which began in December, 2019.
Despite the striking regularity of the Solar Cycle, no two cycles are the same; some are stronger than others. In 2019 an international panel was convened to predict the strength and timing of Solar Cycle 25. The experimental product presented here provides an update to the 2019 Panel prediction, taking into account the latest observational data. An updated prediction for the strength and timing of Solar Cycle 25 will be issued here with each passing month, as new monthly sunspot data becomes available. |