[SJDXA] Sunspots, not

[Bob Schenck N2OO]

Have you noticed the erratic behavior of the sun and the lack of those much
wanted "spots" ??

Well, read the following ...  This major announcement came from the American
Astronomical Society meeting in Austin, Texas:

 

    "The major AAS solar announcement: Sun's Fading Spots Signal Big Drop in
Solar Activity Posted on June 14, 2011 by Anthony Watts

     From the WUWT solar reference page. Note: when the B gauss reading of
sunspots hits 1500, they will no longer have enough contrast to be visible.
That may occur at or near the years 2015-2017.

     The American Astronomical Society meeting in Austin has just made a
major announcement on the state of the sun. Sunspots may be on the way out
and an extended solar minimum may be on the horizon.Fron Space.com reporting
from the conference:

     Some unusual solar readings, including fading sunspots and weakening
magnetic activity near the poles, could be indications that our sun is
preparing to be less active in the coming years.

     The results of three separate studies seem to show that even as the
current sunspot cycle swells toward the solar maximum, the sun could be
heading into a more-dormant period, with activity during the next 11-year
sunspot cycle greatly reduced or even eliminated.

     The results of the new studies were announced today (June 14) at the
annual meeting of the solar physics division of the American Astronomical
Society, which is being held this week at New Mexico State University in Las
Cruces.

.

Currently, the sun is in the midst of the period designated as Cycle 24 and
is ramping up toward the cycle's period of maximum activity. However, the
recent findings indicate that the activity in the next 11-year solar cycle,
Cycle 25, could be greatly reduced. In fact, some scientists are questioning
whether this drop in activity could lead to a second Maunder Minimum, which
was a 70-year period from 1645 to 1715 when the sun showed virtually no
sunspots.

...

"We expected to see the start of the zonal flow for Cycle 25 by now, but we
see no sign of it," Hill said. "This indicates that the start of Cycle 25
may be delayed to 2021 or 2022, or may not happen at all."

     If the models prove accurate and the trends continue, the implications
could be far-reaching.

"If we are right, this could be the last solar maximum we'll see for a few
decades," Hill said. "That would affect everything from space exploration to
Earth's climate."

     Now, let's prepare for it!   Keep your eyes on the sky and enjoy the
changing weather!

 

 

See ya' in the Pileups!

73!

Bob Schenck, N2OO

President SJDXA

GO SJDXA!!! www.sjdxa.org

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/sjdxa/attachments/20110615/2300214b/attachment.html