September 10, 2024

This Week in Amateur Radio

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Via the ARRL: Solar Minimum Most Likely Occurred in December 2019

Sunspot Index and Long-Term Solar Observations (SILSO) in Belgium said this month that the minimum between Solar Cycles 24 and 25 “most probably” took place last December. SILSO, a part of the Royal Observatory of Belgium and formerly known as SIDC, cited as evidence the January 2020 increase in the 13-month smoothed sunspot number — the first upswing since the Cycle 24 maximum in April 2014.

“[F]or now, this latest smoothed value in January 2020 is the very first point indicating a rise of the activity. So, the date of the minimum still needs a full confirmation over the coming months,” SILSO said on its website. “For now, preliminary smoothed values, limited to less than 13 months, hint at increasing values over coming months. If the rising trend indeed continues, this [December 2019] date will become fully definitive.”

Read more – via American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and Resources http://www.arrl.org/news/view/solar-minimum-most-likely-occurred-in-december-2019