Solar maximum: Now is your chance to see the aurora

If you dream of seeing the northern lights, then this year could be your year.

This is because 2024 will be the solar maximum, the period of greatest solar activity. The solar cycle lasts approximately 11 years, with a minimum and a maximum roughly every 6.5 years.

Throughout a solar cycle, sunspot numbers, indicative of solar activity, rise during the solar maximum and decline during the solar minimum, providing a measure of the overall intensity of the cycle. The solar maximum is the highest peak of activity during the solar cycle.

Scientists have recently discovered that the upcoming solar maximum, named Solar Cycle 25, is going to peak between January and October of 2024.

The good news from that is, the more solar activity, the brighter and stronger the aurora displays.

In the solar maximum, increased sunspot activity will result in increased solar wind and an influx of charged particles in the atmosphere. As a result, the chance of frequent and intense aurora displays rises, as does observing the northern lights at lower latitudes.