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.

Space debris poses serious risks to a wide array of satellites critical to society. NCAR is part of a collaborative effort to help reduce those risks by modeling the effects of space weather on satellite orbits, helping operators steer spacecraft more accurately around debris.

While the current peak in the 11-year cycle of sunspot activity is on the weak side, the Sun might still produce a major storm at any point. The most dangerous storms are most likely during the waning part of the solar cycle, which will unfold later this decade.