Solar Cycle 25

  • Released Friday, June 28th, 2024
  • Updated Monday, July 8th, 2024 at 12:00AM

Overview

The Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel, an international group of experts co-sponsored by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announced that solar minimum occurred in December 2019, marking the start of Solar Cycle 25. Since then, the Sun’s activity has been steadily increasing as it approaches solar maximum — the peak of Solar Cycle 25.

A new solar cycle comes roughly every 11 years. Over the course of each cycle, the Sun transitions from relatively calm to active and stormy, and then quiet again. At its peak, the Sun’s magnetic poles flip.

Understanding the Sun’s behavior is an important part of life in our solar system. The Sun’s outbursts, including eruptions known as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, can disturb satellites and communication signals traveling around Earth. Scientists study the solar cycle so we can better understand and predict solar activity.

MEDIA RESOURCES - SOLAR MINIMUM

SIGNIFICANT SOLAR ACTIVITY FROM SOLAR CYCLE 25

DATA VISUALIZATIONS

PRODUCED CONTENT

SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY

PREVIOUS SOLAR CYCLES