Last October, NOAA and NASA announced that Solar Max has arrived. Only half the sun got the memo. The majority of solar activity has been happening in just one of the sun’s hemispheres–the south. The solar superstorm of May 10, 2024, for instance, was caused by a monster southern sunspot.It makes you wonder, is the other half of Solar Max still coming?
This composite image below of last year’s sunspots shows how dominant the southern hemisphere has been.
For forecasters of the solar cycle, this raises an interesting possibility: Maybe the northern peak is still coming. Indeed, there are signs in February 2025 that the pendulum is swinging. This month’s sunspots have been more evenly distributed between the two hemispheres, a sign that activity may be shifting north.
This discussion focuses attention on the north-south balance of sunspots. A northern shift in the months ahead could herald a second peak and another year or two of excellent auroras before Solar Cycle 25 finally peters out.
