Long-Term Solar Variability (LSV) Section
Solar Cycle Studies
The solar activity cycle, as manifested by repeated increase and then decrease in the number of sunspots visible on the Sun, has been observed and analyzed for centuries. However, only for the past two to three ~11-year activity cycles have new capabilities in satellite and ground-based observations allowed us to consider how a broad range of solar, heliospheric, and geospace observables vary within and between cycles. These observations, in conjunction with theoretical and numerical modeling advances, enable an interdisciplinary, system-wide view on the origins and impacts of solar cycle variation.
HAO scientists pursue studies of solar and stellar cycle variation, with a particular focus on magnetic minima as times of low activity and relatively simple heliospheric structure. Read More »
Currently, HAO scientists continue comparative studies of solar minima to characterize properties of the coupled Sun-Earth system during the latest solar minimum in contrast to past minima. Read More »
See Profiles in Science pages for Joan Burkepile, Giuliana de Toma, Sarah Gibson, Philip Judge, Scott McIntosh and Liang Zhao.