
Aurora Stats and Averages
Climatologists study records of Earth's weather to calculate averages and find trends and patterns.I wanted to do the same with space weather to find out how geomagnetic activity varies by year, month, and day. The British Geological Survey (BGS) has been keeping records of geomagnetic activity since 1932. So I imported this 86 years worth of data into a spreadsheet to analyze it, and break it down into graphs and charts. The Royal Observatory of Belgium - SILSO has been recording sunspot numbers for even longer since the 1700's. The effects of the solar cycle become clear in the first 6 graphs below.
What is the Solar Cycle?
For centuries it has been known that the sun follows a regular pattern of high and low solar activity. This period averages 11 years in length, but can vary from 9 to 13 years long. Solar maximum is defined as the month with the highest sunspot number. Conversely, solar minimum is defined as the month with the lowest...