Time to put up that beam? NASA says Solar Cycle 25 has begun!

Is it time to put up that tower and beam? According to a NASA press release, it just might be. NASA and NOAA scientists say that Solar Cycle 25 has begun! During a media event on Tuesday, the scientists discussed their analysis and predictions about the new solar cycle – and how the new solar cycle compares to the last one the impact it will have.

The scientists are predicting that:

• the Sun’s activity to ramp up toward the next predicted maximum in July 2025.
• Solar Cycle 25 will be about as strong as the last solar cycle, which was a below-average cycle.

As reported by CNN, “Solar Cycle 24 was the fourth smallest cycle on record and the weakest cycle in 100 years, said Lisa Upton, co-chair of Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel and solar physicist at the Space Systems Research Corporation, during a press conference Tuesday.” The CNN report also includes a cool, time-lapse video of a complete sunspot cycle.”

The report also notes:

Experts said that space weather is transitioning from a focus of research to a more national operational priority across a multitude of agencies, including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration and many others. This allows for better planning, preparedness and protection from space weather hazards.

The agency NOAA shares space weather predictions from its Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado and has satellites monitoring space weather in real time. It has a hotline with electrical grid operators to warn them, so they can prepare and keep the power on, Biesecker said.