Sun Enters The New 'Solar Cycle 25'

Today we are going talk about solar cycle. Recently, On Tuesday NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) jointly released a consensus statement announcing the commencement of solar cycle 25. Solar cycle have been observed since the early 17th century.

What is Solar Cycle ?

The Sun follows a pattern of 11 years, during which solar activities go up and down between solar minima and maxima. Depending on the number of sunspots detected on the sun. Solar maxima – highest number of sunspots. Solar minima – lowest number of sunspots. Sunspots are small and dark, yet cooler areas formed on the solar surface, where there are strong magnetic forces. The dipolar (north-south) magnetic field part of the Sun also flips every 11 years. However, the peak in the dipolar field falls behind the peak in the sunspot number, with the former happening at the minimum between two cycles.

Credits: NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory/Joy Ng

How Will Solar Cycle 25 Look Like?

The short answer is, probably a lot like the last — that is, the past 11 years of the Sun’s life, since that’s the average length of any given cycle. There were no sunspots for 281 days in 2019 and 181 days in 2020. Since December 2019, the sun powered exercises have gradually gotten, authenticating the start of the new cycle. The panel termed solar cycle 25 to be a weak one, with the strength almost the same as that of Solar cycle 24. 

“Just because it is a below-average cycle, it does not mean that there is no risk of extreme space weather. Violent solar eruptions can occur at any time,” said Doug Biesecker, panel co-chair and solar physicist at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centre, Colorado. He further adds, that Solar cycle 25 will reach a peak sunspot number of 115 in July of 2025.

While this may seem of an alarm to us all, NASA has hinted that we have nothing to worry or stress over.

How will it affect our lives ?

The Sun periodically ejects hot plasma in the form of solar flares and winds across the solar system. NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have guaranteed that another Solar cycle has started that may bring changing changes in human lives on earth and the manner in which innovation is seen in its utilization.

This is the 25th Solar Cycle that has begun after the Sun reached its Solar lowest possible value, which many believe can lead to depressing and hopeless and cold weather on the Earth. However, the Sun's solar cycle is important to understand the space weather, radio communications on Earth, and as well as to keep satellites and astronauts safe.