Public solar cycle system

What are solar cycle predictions?

Solar cycle predictions are used by various agencies and many industry groups. The solar cycle is important for determining the lifetime of satellites in low-Earth orbit, as the drag on the satellites correlates with the solar cycle, especially as represented by F10.7cm.

What is a solar cycle?

Solar cycles are nearly periodic 11-year changes in the Sun 's activity that are based on the number of sunspots present on the Sun's surface. The first solar cycle conventionally is said to have started in 1755. The source data are the revised International Sunspot Numbers (ISN v2.0), as available at SILSO.

Does NOAA provide solar cycle prediction products?

In particular, we survey the current and planned solar cycle prediction products provided to customers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). The main purpose of this paper is to inform stakeholders of current NOAA/SWPC activities with regard to solar cycle prediction.

What is a solar cycle prediction panel?

The goal of the Solar Cycle Prediction Panels was not to produce original predictions. Rather, it was to solicit, compile, evaluate, and synthesize predictions and insights from the solar physics community to produce the most accurate and reliable forecast given the state of knowledge at the time.

When did solar cycle 1 start & end?

Solar cycle 1 began in March 1755 and ended in June 1766, according to space news website spacetoday.org. We are currently experiencing solar cycle 25. Check out NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) for official space weather forecasts for the U.S. Explore more about space weather impacts with NOAA's SWPC.

When will solar cycle 26 start?

Note that both the updated prediction and the 2019 NOAA/NASA/ISES Panel prediction apply only to Solar Cycle 25. Solar Cycle 26 is expected to begin some time between January 2029 and December 2032. We do not yet produce a prediction for Solar Cycle 26. Solar cycle predictions are used by various agencies and many industry groups.