SOLAR CYCLE UPDATE: The solar cycle is in a strange place. During the past two months we have seen the strongest solar flare in years and a profusion of new sunspots. Yet, at the same time, the sun is deeply quiet. We make sense of it all on today's edition of Spaceweather.com .
Aurora alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts and receive a text message when auroras appear in your area.
Above: A new interactive tool from NOAA allows you to explore sunspot counts all the way back to the 18th century. Try it.
