NASA Confirms ‘Solar Maximum,’ Impact on Earth’s Systems

NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), and the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel confirmed on Tuesday that the Sun has entered its solar maximum phase in its 11-year cycle. Expected to last through 2025, this is a phase with heightened solar activity that will have major impacts on Earth’s satellites, power grids, and communication systems
The solar maximum typically indicates heightened sunspot activity and increased magnetic disturbances. Scientists track sunspots to predict solar events, such as flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which can lead to geomagnetic storms. Recent solar activity in May 2024 caused the strongest geomagnetic storm in 20 years, with auroras visible as far south as parts of Europe and the U.S.
Jamie Favors, NASA’s Space Weather Program director, said that solar activity presents both risks and research opportunities. “The increased activity gives us a rare chance to study our closest star, but it also affects technology on Earth and human activities in space,” he noted.
NASA and NOAA continue to monitor space weather conditions to predict future storms. Elsayed Talaat, NOAA’s space weather operations director, cautioned that while the Sun has entered the solar maximum phase, scientists won’t know the exact peak until the activity begins to decline. The solar maximum may still last another year or more before transitioning into a quieter period known as solar minimum.
This cycle, known as Solar Cycle 25, has already exceeded initial predictions, according to Lisa Upton, co-chair of the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel. Despite some large solar storms, Upton added that they are consistent with what scientists expect during the peak of a solar cycle.
Looking ahead, NASA is preparing for several missions, including the Parker Solar Probe, which will make its closest approach to the Sun in December 2024, aiming to study the Sun’s atmosphere directly.
This mission will provide critical data to better understand space weather and its effects, particularly as NASA prepares for its Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars, where protecting astronauts from solar radiation will be a key priority.