Droughts out west? Flooding in other areas? Well, folks, that’s because it looks like we are in the beginning of a solar minimum (cycle 25) since December of 2019. Like most scientific issues, there is much debate over the solar cycle. Let’s look at some fascinating facts. Did You Know?

• It is believed the so-called solar clock is like a typical clock with 11-year cycles
• The solar minimum is the period of least solar activity in the 11-year solar cycle of the sun
• Every 11 years, at the height of this cycle, the sun’s magnetic poles flip
• Every 11 years the sun transitions from sluggish to active and stormy
• It is supposed to peak in 2025 (between November 2024 and March 2026)
•  The last time there was a “Grand Solar Minimum,” it occurred during a period called the “Little Ice Age” from AD 1650 to 1715 in the Northern Hemisphere
• The months near the spring (March) and fall (October) equinox are the most geomagnetically active of the year with stronger storms during its active phase
• Sunspots (dark spots on the sun) indicate active magnetic fields
• Solar cycle 1 began in 1755
• Remember to never look directly at the sun or you will permanently damage your eyes

Homeschoolers: Sketch/color an illustration. Write the words “solar minimum” ten times. Write the definition in your own words. Theme: weather. Finish this sentence: My favorite season is… Read the story called Chicken Little.  Explain why Chicken Little said, “The sky is falling.”✍️