Related papers: Solar Cycle 24: is the peak coming?
It is paramount from both scientific and societal perspectives to understand the generation of extreme space weather. We discuss the formation of solar superstorms based on a comparative study of the 2012 July 23 and 2017 July 23 eruptions.…
Having advanced knowledge of solar activity is important because the Sun's magnetic output governs space weather and impacts technologies reliant on space. However, the irregular nature of the solar cycle makes solar activity predictions a…
The solar magnetic activity cycle causes changes in the Sun on timescales that are relevant to human lifetimes. The minimum in solar activity that preceded the current solar cycle (cycle 24) was deeper and quieter than any other recent…
Surface flux transport simulations for the descending phase of cycle 24 using random sources (emerging bipolar magnetic regions) with empirically determined scatter of their properties provide a prediction of the axial dipole moment during…
The Sun's variability is controlled by the progression and interaction of the magnetized systems that form the 22-year magnetic activity cycle (the "Hale Cycle'') as they march from their origin at $\sim$55 degrees latitude to the equator,…
The Sun's polar magnetic fields change their polarity near the maximum of sunspot activity. We analyzed the polarity reversal epochs in Solar Cycles 21 to 24. There was a triple reversal in the N-hemisphere in Solar Cycle 24 and single…
After reviewing potential early indicators of an upcoming solar cycle at high latitudes, we focus attention on the rush-to-the-poles (RTTP) phenomenon in coronal green line emission. Considering various correlations between properties of…
Helioseismic data for solar cycles 23 and 24 have shown unequivocally that solar dynamics changes with solar activity. Changes in solar structure have been more difficult to detect. Basu & Mandel (2004) had claimed that the then available…
Over the past century, the Sun's activity -- which exhibits significant variations -- went through a phase known as the Modern Maximum. Notably, the strongest sunspot cycle on record during this period, and indeed since direct sunspot…
We use helioseismic data from ground and space-based instruments to analyze how solar rotation has changed since the beginning of solar Cycle 23 with emphasis on studying the differences between Cycles 23 and 24. We find that the nature of…
The solar minimum 23/24 is considered to be unusual because it exhibits features that differ notably from those commonly seen in pervious minima. In this letter, we analyze the solar polar magnetic field, the potential-field solution of the…
We present observations of the extended solar cycle activity in white-light coronagraphs, and compare them with the more familiar features seen in the Fe XIV green-line corona. We show that the coronal activity zones seen in the emission…
In this paper, we investigate the spatial distribution of solar flares in the northern and southern hemisphere of the Sun that occurred during the period 1996 to 2003. This period of investigation includes the ascending phase, the maximum…
The space weather is extremely mild during solar cycle 24: the number of major geomagnetic storms and high-energy solar energetic particle events are at the lowest since the dawn of the space age. Solar wind measurements at 1 AU using Wind…
We present evidence that $>25$ MeV solar proton events show a clustering in time at intervals of $\approx$ six months that persisted during the rising and peak phases of Solar Cycle 24. This phenomenon is most clearly demonstrated by…
The prediction of the strength of future solar cycles is of interest because of its practical significance for space weather and as a test of our theoretical understanding of the solar cycle. The Babcock-Leighton mechanism allows…
An interval of exceptional solar activity was registered in early September 2017, late in the decay phase of solar cycle 24, involving the complex Active Region 12673 as it rotated across the western hemisphere with respect to Earth. A…
The solar cycle and its associated magnetic activity are the main drivers behind changes in the interplanetary environment and the Earth's upper atmosphere (commonly referred to as space weather). These changes have a direct impact on the…
The recent paucity of sunspots and the delay in the expected start of Solar Cycle 24 have drawn attention to the challenges involved in predicting solar activity. Traditional models of the solar cycle usually require information about the…
We summarize observations of around a thousand solar energetic particle (SEP) events since 1967 that include ~25 MeV protons, made by various near-Earth spacecraft (IMPs 4, 5, 7, 8, ISEE 3, SOHO), that encompass Solar Cycle 20 to the…