Weather Insider: Solar cycles explained

Just like how the Earth has a number of different climate cycles, the sun has a cycle of its own - known as the solar cycle, the sunspot cycle, or the Schwabe cycle. This is an 11-year cycle in solar activity. Right now, we are near the peak of the active phase of the 11-year cycle.

During these times of elevated activity, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are more likely. CMEs are large ejections of charged particles blasted outwards into the solar system. When these charged particles interact with the planet's magnetic field, the particles are focused toward the poles. Then they can interact with the atmosphere, causing the glow we call the northern and southern lights.