Have you heard? We are now officially in the solar maximum phase! That means we’re in the part of the 11-year solar cycle where solar eruptions, geomagnetic storms, and auroras are most likely to occur. But how do scientists tell where we are in the solar cycle? They count sunspots! Those dark solar splotches tell a story: As solar activity waxes and wanes, so does the sunspot count. But don’t just take our word for it – try it yourself! Track the current and past solar cycles with these fun sun

Tick-tock, the Sun’s like a clock — but much more complex to predict. Scientists use a combination of observations, models, and mathematical techniques (including a "solar clock" analysis) to understand how the Sun will behave in the upcoming solar cycle. https://go.nasa.gov/3kzpLoF | NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center