By historical definition, Solar Cycle 1 occurred between 1755 and 1766, placing the sun's current cycle in Solar Cycle 25. As of the end of 2024, we are firmly within the solar maximum period.

The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter captured the first-ever images of the sun's south pole in March, which were released this week.

If you've ever been taught about how Earth orbits around the sun, you might well think our planet travels along an oval-shaped path that brings it much closer to the sun at some times of the year ...