sunspot cycle

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. the cycle, averaging in duration slightly more than 11 years, in which the frequency of sunspots varies from a maximum to a minimum and back to a maximum again.

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Example Sentences

This relationship has often been utilised to forecast the strength of a sunspot cycle based on observations of its early rising phase.

From Science Daily • Nov. 28, 2023

Potential hazards aside, understanding how the sunspot cycle actually works is crucial “from a purely human standpoint, if you want to understand stars,” Dr. McIntosh said.

From New York Times • May 28, 2021

During the next sunspot cycle, however, the polarity of the leading spots is reversed in each hemisphere.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Then there is the sun's variability, mostly in the form of the 11-year sunspot cycle.

From Slate • Sep. 9, 2012

But sunspot cycle 20, which was a good one, had decided otherwise.

From The Dawn of Amateur Radio in the U.K. and Greece: a personal view by Joly, Norman F.