SOLAR CYCLE 25

Solar Activity Intensifying as Peak Approaches

(YELLOWKNIFE, NWT) The peak of Solar Cycle 25 is expected in 2025, which is pretty great news for northern communities as aurora tourism is now returning to the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Manitoba, Alaska and other hotspots in the circumpolar region.

In case you hadn’t noticed, Earth has taken a few good wallops of solar wind this year (that’s good news for Northern Lights fanatics) and we can expect to see more supercharged events in 2024 as the peak of Solar Cycle 25 approaches. We’ll also be seeing more activity beyond the peak as well. Like lots.

How do we know? Well, solar activity doesn’t stop, it’s more of a pendulum that swings from low activity to high activity and back to low. And when you think about solar activity over a relatively short timescale (like weeks or months) there are enormous spikes in activity followed immediately by gaps with an unpredictable number of Earth-directed eruptions, but over a longer time period (approximately 11 years) a pattern emerges, and it is this pattern (or pendulum) we call the  Solar Cycle.

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Forming as a club in Yellowknife in 2004, Astronomy North began as a small group of volunteers offering community aurora forecasting, hosting sidewalk astronomy and classroom presentations and guest presentations at the museum. A few years later, in 2008, we introduced the NWT Astronomy Plan and soon after became a non-profit territorial society that designed, developed and managed projects that aimed to benefit communities in the Northwest Territories as part of the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.

That year we launched our two flagship projects in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency – The AuroraMAX Project and The Legendary Sky Project, and added The Northern Lighthouse Project a few years later.

Along with our projects, our volunteer crew of citizen scientists has also been delivering some cool support services including aurora forecasting, a national AuroraMAX Alert system and continues to offer free space weather training for tour operators – and we’re going to continue inviting everyone to explore the nature, culture and wonder of Canada’s northern sky.

The new organization, to be unveiled in 2024, will have a new emphasis on citizen science in a changing north, exploring new frontiers, new partnerships and new initiatives that align with community priorities and help make the Universe a better place.

Stay tuned for more updates on our 20th Anniversary celebration this fall.

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS!

Exploring the Power of Citizen Science in a Changing North

The universe is evolving, and so are we! With our 20th Anniversary celebration just around the corner in 2024, Astronomy North is preparing to modernize our programs and services and will introduce new initiatives that explore the power of citizen science in a changing North – how cool is that! Watch for more updates this fall and join us as we celebrate 20 years of exploring the nature, culture and wonder of Canada’s northern sky!

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Forming as a club in Yellowknife in 2004, Astronomy North began as a small group of volunteers offering community aurora forecasting, hosting sidewalk astronomy and classroom presentations and guest presentations at the museum. A few years later, in 2008, we introduced the NWT Astronomy Plan and soon after became a non-profit territorial society that designed, developed and managed projects that aimed to benefit communities in the Northwest Territories as part of the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.

That year we launched our two flagship projects in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency – The AuroraMAX Project and The Legendary Sky Project, and added The Northern Lighthouse Project a few years later.

Along with our projects, our volunteer crew of citizen scientists has also been delivering some cool support services including aurora forecasting, a national AuroraMAX Alert system and continues to offer free space weather training for tour operators – and we’re going to continue inviting everyone to explore the nature, culture and wonder of Canada’s northern sky.

The new organization, to be unveiled in 2024, will have a new emphasis on citizen science in a changing north, exploring new frontiers, new partnerships and new initiatives that align with community priorities and help make the Universe a better place.

Stay tuned for more updates on our 20th Anniversary celebration this fall.