Solar Cycle 25 - We are in the Solar Maximum

It's no secret the Sun has been active lately with all the geomagnetic storms causing beautiful auroras to be seen far south across the northern hemisphere. NASA and NOAA have officially announced that we're in the solar maximum of Solar Cycle 25!

The Sun has an 11-year cycle going from little activity, peaking in the middle, then eventually waning again. This activity is visible on the Sun's surface thanks to high-powered telescopes. This solar maximum period is expected to last 2 to 3 years and we can expect the sun to unleash plenty of energy resulting in space weather, according to the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel.

Since last year, the Sun's activity has been growing and surpassing forecasts for more activity even a year early. This year alone, the solar flares have been some of the strongest in at most 20 years!

These flares are spewed from sunspots and come out as coronal mass ejections, eventually interacting with Earth's magnetic field if they are aimed toward us. The more sunspot activity there is the more evidence of a solar maximum period.

We're in for more geomagnetic storms during the solar maximum, but that's not the only thing that comes from Earth-facing solar flares. Satellites, astronauts, radio and GPS communications can all be compromised when hit by these flares.