Solar Cycle 25 Begins
Explanation:
The
general trend of monthly sunspot data
now confirms that the minimum of the approximately 11 year
cycle of solar activity occurred in December 2019, marking
the start of Solar Cycle
25.
That quiet Sun, at minimum activity, appears on the right of this split
hemispherical view.
In contrast, the left side shows the active Sun at the
recognized maximum of Solar Cycle 24, captured in April 2014.
The extreme ultraviolet images from the orbiting
Solar Dynamics Observatory
highlight coronal loops and active regions in the light of highly
ionized iron atoms.
Driving the space weather
around our fair planet, Solar Cycle 24
was a relatively calm one and predictions are that
cycle 25 will be calm too.
The cycle 25 activity maximum is expected in July 2025.
Solar Cycle 1, the first solar cycle determined from early records
of sunspot data, is considered to begin with a
minimum in February 1755.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
