solar cycle

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. the variation of sunspots, prominences, flares, and other solar activity through an 11-year cycle.

---

Example Sentences

Although we are now past the peak of the current solar cycle and heading towards "solar minimum", expected around 2031-32, solar activity will remain relatively high through 2026.

From BBC

Scientists have found that the Sun's total energy output changes very little, varying by only about 0.06% over the solar cycle.

From Science Daily

This timing matches the Sun's magnetic cycle and helps explain why sunspots, which are produced when strong magnetic fields break through the surface, tend to appear progressively closer to the equator as each solar cycle unfolds.

From Science Daily

By improving knowledge of the solar dynamo, the mission could lead to more accurate predictions of the solar cycle and, in turn, more reliable space weather forecasts.

From Science Daily

The magnetic fields at the poles are vital to the Sun's global dynamo process and may act as "seed fields" that shape the next solar cycle, defining the overall solar magnetic structure.

From Science Daily