https://www.npr.org/2023/11/09/ [login to see] /northern-lights-aurora-borealis-2024
Solar activity is expected to strengthen in 2024, which could activate more frequent displays of the aurora borealis, or the northern lights, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The sun is in its 25th solar cycle, a period of activity in its magnetic field that typically lasts about 11 years. The current solar cycle began in December 2019.
Scientists predicted at the start of cycle 25 that that solar activity would be relatively weak, similar to solar cycle 24. But an updated forecast shows the solar maximum, or peak activity, for the current cycle being reached sooner, from January to October 2024, and being much stronger than what was initially forecast.