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.
Most places on Earth have seasons because our planet is on a tilt as it orbits the sun. But our star also has its own version of seasons that affect life on Earth—and new astronomical research is helping us better understand ...
Astronomy
Sep 10, 2025
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NASA has launched Surya, its new heliophysics artificial intelligence foundation model to empower solar scientists with tools to enhance research and space weather forecasting. Southwest Research Institute's Dr. Andrés Muñoz-Jaramillo ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 26, 2025
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Solar Maximum 2025 is the expected peak of solar activity in Solar Cycle 25, characterized by heightened sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections. This peak is anticipated around mid to late 2025, coinciding with ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 7, 2025
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140
A trio of heliophysicists and satellite trackers at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute at the University of Maryland has found evidence showing that Starlink satellites reenter ...
On March 15, 2024, near the peak of the current solar cycle, the sun produced a solar flare and an accompanying coronal mass ejection (CME), a massive explosion of gas and magnetic energy that carries with it large amounts ...
Planetary Sciences
May 14, 2025
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A large team of researchers working on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Collaboration, which has been analyzing eleven years' worth of data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) aboard the International Space Station, ...
At the start of this new year, we look back at close-up pictures and solar flare data recorded by the ESA-led Solar Orbiter mission over the last three years. See and hear for yourself how the number of flares and their intensity ...
Astronomy
Jan 6, 2025
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In a teleconference with reporters on Tuesday, representatives from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the international Solar Cycle Prediction Panel announced that the sun has reached its ...
Astronomy
Oct 15, 2024
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85
Yesterday the sun released a huge solar flare, and it's heading toward Earth. It's nothing to worry about since it's nowhere near as large as the Carrington Event of 1859, but it is large enough to give us some amazing aurora.
Astronomy
Oct 4, 2024
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