[Elecraft] NOAA: Start of New Sunspot Cycle

[Toby Deinhardt]

<http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/images/gong2b.jpg>

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<http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hwOy6L3VDvW3rVBHNad3s6BsR0SwD8TVAGRG0>

NOAA Confirms Start of New Sunspot Cycle

12 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new solar cycle is under way. The National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that the first sunspot of a 
new 11-year cycle has appeared in the sun's northern hemisphere.

usw. usw. usw.

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<http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080104_sunspot.html>

NOAA: Sunspot is Harbinger of New Solar Cycle, Increasing Risk for 
Electrical Systems

January 4, 2008

A new 11-year cycle of heightened solar activity, bringing with it 
increased risks for power grids, critical military, civilian and airline 
communications, GPS signals and even cell phones and ATM transactions, 
showed signs it was on its way late yesterday when the cycle’s first 
sunspot appeared in the sun’s Northern Hemisphere, NOAA scientists said.

“This sunspot is like the first robin of spring,” said solar physicist 
Douglas Biesecker of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. “In this 
case, it’s an early omen of solar storms that will gradually increase 
over the next few years.”

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<http://www.spaceweather.com/>

SOLAR CYCLE 24 BEGINS:  Solar physicists have been waiting for the 
appearance of a reversed-polarity sunspot to signal the start of the 
next solar cycle. The wait is over. Yesterday, a magnetically reversed 
sunspot emerged at solar latitude 30 N, shown in this photo taken by 
Greg Piepol of Rockville, Maryland:

For reasons explained in a recent Science at NASA story, this marks the 
beginning of Solar Cycle 24 and the first step toward a new solar 
maximum. Intense solar activity won't begin right away. Solar cycles 
usually take a few years to build from solar minimum (where we are now) 
to Solar Max (expected in 2011 or 2012). It's a slow journey, but we're 
on our way!

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<http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/ap-080103-new-sunspot-cycle.html>

New Sunspot Cycle Begins
By The Associated Press

posted: 4 January 2008
5:30 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new solar cycle is under way.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that the 
first sunspot of a new 11-year cycle has appeared in the sun's northern 
hemisphere.

usw. usw. usw.

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<http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=New+Sunspot+Cycle&btnG=Search+News>

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