Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2020 September 17

                          Solar Cycle 25 Has Begun
                           Image Credit: NASA, SDO

   Explanation: The general trend of monthly sunspot data now confirms
   that the minimum of the approximately 11 year cycle of solar activity
   occurred in December 2019, marking the start of Solar Cycle 25. That
   quiet Sun, at minimum activity, appears on the right of this split
   hemispherical view. In contrast, the left side shows the active Sun at
   the recognized maximum of Solar Cycle 24, captured in April 2014. The
   extreme ultraviolet images from the orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory
   highlight coronal loops and active regions in the light of highly
   ionized iron atoms. Driving the space weather around our fair planet,
   Solar Cycle 24 was a relatively calm one and predictions are that cycle
   25 will be calm too. The cycle 25 activity maximum is expected in July
   2025. Solar Cycle 1, the first solar cycle determined from early
   records of sunspot data, is considered to begin with a minimum in
   February 1755.

                        Tomorrow's picture: 3D Orion
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.


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