The solar cycle as a research area focuses on the quasi-periodic (~11-year) modulation of solar magnetic activity and its physical drivers, modeling, and impacts. It encompasses the study of dynamo processes in the solar interior, emergence and evolution of magnetic flux, sunspot number variability, and associated phenomena such as flares and coronal mass ejections. Researchers investigate cycle prediction methods, long-term modulation (e.g., grand minima and maxima), and coupling between solar radiative, particulate, and magnetic outputs and the heliosphere, planetary space weather, and climate-relevant upper-atmospheric processes, using observations, theory, and magnetohydrodynamic simulations.
Research led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has integrated three types of machine learning models to generate solar magnetic patches with physical properties and used those as a query to find matching patches in real ...
Astronomy
Apr 14, 2026
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11
On Earth, extreme solar activity often appears as beautiful, benign auroras. But venturing beyond the safety of the Earth's magnetic field, one faces the full brunt of a temperamental star that can suddenly erupt with flares ...
Astronomy
Apr 9, 2026
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30
During the Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, NASA will test out a pair of new solar radiation forecasts, developed at University of Michigan Engineering, designed to protect astronauts venturing away from Earth. The ...
Space Exploration
Apr 2, 2026
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41
Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have discovered new large-scale waves moving deep inside the sun, driven by magnetic fields far below the surface. These waves provide a window into parts of the sun that are otherwise inaccessible, ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 28, 2026
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24
Every eleven years, the sun's magnetic field flips. Sunspots—dark, cooler regions on the sun's surface that mark intense magnetic activity and often trigger solar eruptions—appear at mid-latitudes and migrate toward the star's ...
Astronomy
Mar 17, 2026
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60
Scientists have analyzed more than 40 years of astronomical data to uncover evidence that the sun's internal structure subtly changes from one solar cycle minimum to the next. Publishing their findings in Monthly Notices ...
Astronomy
Mar 3, 2026
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90
A team of scientists from around the world has created the first system that can predict when and where extremely powerful solar storms, called superflares, are most likely to happen. These storms can disrupt power grids, ...
Astronomy
Feb 24, 2026
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66
Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi have uncovered new clues about how energy moves through the sun's outer atmosphere, using one of nature's rarest events as their window: total solar eclipses. Drawing on more than ...
Astronomy
Feb 18, 2026
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35
For the first time, scientists have used satellite data to create a 3D map of the sun's interior magnetic field, the fundamental driver of solar activity. The research, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, should ...
Research conducted by an international team of astronomers from Southwest Research Institute, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences in India and the Max Planck Institute in Germany could help predict upcoming ...
Astronomy
Jan 20, 2026
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