Solar Cycle 25 Declining

News Letter from Tacoma Radio Club. Solar Cycle 25 is now officially past the peak of solar activity.

https://w7dk.org

The lead article is a discussion about how to prepare for the declining solar cycle.

“During daytime the D-layer absorption becomes weaker, this allows 40 meters to open earlier in the afternoon. At night, the F-layer retains enough ionization to reflect these lower frequencies over long distances. This creates excellent low-band propagation that can last until dawn. Simply put, during a solar minimum, 40 meters often becomes the new 20 meters.”

Solar minimum: 40 meters often becomes the new 20 meters

Approaching Grand Solar Minimum?

The author reports that a minority within the solar science community have raised the possibility of an upcoming Grand Solar Minimum. A Grand Solar Minimum is a very long period of low solar activity. A few researchers have suggested the possibility of a future “Grand Solar Minimum,” similar to the historical Maunder Minimum of the 1600s. This phenomenon causes sunspot activity to remain low for decades. They are suggesting a Maunder-like grand minimum from around 2030 to 2110. A 2023 study analyzing 1,012 auroral records from Korean historical texts found clear evidence of a distinct 8-year cycle during the original Maunder Minimum, rather than the typical 11-year cycle. It should be noted that this prediction is a minority viewpoint within community.