The Current 24th Cycle of Solar Activity in the Minimum Phase: Preliminary Results and Features of Development

Abstract

The characteristics and course of development of the current 24th solar activity (SA) cycle allow it to be considered a cycles in an epoch of lowered SA. Comparison of evolutionary changes in the cycles of different epochs in the phases of the minimum made it possible to distinguish two groups by the rate of decline. The first group with a relatively fast decline (~15 months) includes all cycles of epochs of increased SA, transition periods, and cycle 16 from the epoch of lowered SA. The second, with a slow decline (~40 months), contains the rest of the cycles of epochs of lowered SA, including the current 24th one, the minimum of which can be expected in the first half of 2020.