Maureen Raymo had the sunpots in her 2019 Bolin Lecture.

The article below contains excellent graphics.

The calm before the storms

Scientists studying the 11-year solar cycle are trying to predict when a quiet sun will next turn violent. … In calm solar cycles, operators assume their satellites will remain in orbit for longer—and because the same goes for space junk, the risk of a collision goes up. … The storms can disrupt communications, interrupt spacecraft and missile tracking, and skew GPS measurements..

By Sarah Scoles

May 31st, 2019