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.

Does SWPC continually update the Solar Cycle 25 NOAA/NASA/ISES panel prediction?

In this section we describe the procedure that SWPC has implemented to continually update the Solar Cycle 25 NOAA/NASA/ISES Panel prediction that was released in 2019. As noted in Section 1, this updated prediction was released publicly in October 2023 as an experimental product on NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Testbed (SWPT).

What is a solar cycle?

solar cycle, period of about 11 years in which fluctuations in the number and size of sunspots and solar prominences are repeated. Sunspot groups have a magnetic field with a north and a south pole, and, in each 11-year rise and fall, the same polarity leads in a given hemisphere while the opposite polarity leads in the other.

Why is the solar cycle important?

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. A higher solar maximum decreases satellite life and a lower solar maximum extends satellite life.