A model designed to mimic the Sun spontaneously slips into, and out of, its own grand minimum.

HAO's anniversary, which will feature a series of public events, celebrates the emergence of Boulder as a hub of solar science.

The Sun's activity waxes and wanes nearly every two years. The discovery provides clues that could help improve forecasting of solar storms, which can affect technological systems that society depends on.

A range of observing and modeling tools is helping researchers at NCAR and elsewhere discern previously unmapped links between weather events in various layers of the atmosphere, with implications for aviation, GPS, and other technology society relies on.

A leading goal of solar scientists is to improve predictions of the Sun's approximately 11-year cycle. New research led by scientists from NCAR and Sweden shows how solar predictions can borrow from weather forecasting techniques in order to predict the timing and extent of the solar cycle.