One way to track the solar cycle is by counting the number of sunspots, which are dark, cooler patches on the Sun’s surface.

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. These processes follow the solar cycle, an 11-year cycle of increasing and decreasing activity on ...

The agencies that track sunspot activity say we’re now in peak solar activity, which has a big impact on the amount and southward extent of the Northern Lights. On Oct. 15, 2024 NOAA, NASA and the ...

We know that the sun has entered its peak phase of activity, called solar maximum. But are we still in it, or is solar maximum already behind us? Let's see what the data has to say. However, the ...

Solar cycles, characterized by fluctuating sunspot activity, occur approximately every 11 years, although their duration varies between 8 and 14 years. The study of solar cycles dates back to the ...

A single patch on the Sun recently stayed hyperactive for 94 straight days, hurling flare after flare into space and setting ...

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: The intensity of the Sun’s activity ebbs and flows across years, but also across decades—a behavior that scientists haven’t quite figured out yet. At ...

"This work shows without a doubt that Parker Solar Probe is diving deep with every orbit into the region where the solar wind is born." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...