Of Late, Fewer Sunspots Than Usual 628
esocid writes "The sun has been laying low for the past couple of years, producing no sunspots and giving a break to satellites. Periods of inactivity are normal for the sun, but this period has gone on longer than usual. The sun usually operates on an 11-year cycle with maximum activity occurring in the middle of the cycle. The last cycle reached its peak in 2001 and is believed to be just ending now, with the next cycle just beginning and expected to reach its peak sometime around 2012. Today's sun, however, is as inactive as it was two years ago, and scientists aren't sure why. In the past, solar physicists observed that the sun once went 50 years without producing sunspots, coinciding with a little ice age on Earth that lasted from 1650 to 1700." (More below.)
esocid continues: "The Hinode, a Japanese satellite mission with the US and UK as partners, has three telescopes that together show how changes on the sun's surface spread through the solar atmosphere. It orbits 431 miles (694 km) above the Earth, crossing both poles and making one lap every 95 minutes, giving Hinode an uninterrupted view of the sun for several months out of the year. Scientists are not extremely worried, but have added extra ground stations in case of interference from extra solar activity, and are ready for the Sun to resume its activity." (The Little Ice Age is fascinating, full stop.)
solar warming, that's why. (Score:5, Funny)
You mean the Sun's spot production has been .... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:5, Funny)
Absolutly Right. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:You mean the Sun's spot production has been ... (Score:5, Funny)
The Sun is just Shy (Score:2, Funny)
Now it is just hiding.
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I blame (Score:4, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:4, Funny)
The sun isn't changing. Man causes climate change, the climate change causes solar activity to change.
Now that I've proved it the solution is to create a economic cap-and-trade system that creates a secondary market for the redistribution of wealth from people that earned it(good, bad, ugly, fairly, or unfairly) to people that didn't.
Surely you know that the movements of pieces of green paper around the earth will cause a perfect eden to exist like northern California worldwide don't you?
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:5, Funny)
Sorry
Re:Global warming my blue butt (Score:1, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Global warming my blue butt (Score:4, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:5, Funny)
Oh, this is just fucking wonderful... (Score:2, Funny)
Jerks.
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:You mean the Sun's spot production has been ... (Score:5, Funny)
wait, what?
Re:2012? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:3, Funny)
My TinFoil Prediction (Score:3, Funny)
2. Group B declares Nuh-uh! Not it doesn't!
3. World expends great effort in reducing human contribution, reducing warming by (a little bit)
4. Natural warming/cooling cycles shift, reducing warming by (a lot)
5. Earth cools due to natural cycle before effects of #3 really kick in.
6. Group A declares GLOBAL COOLING also came from human behavior. See! Told You So! Our efforts worked! We should do more of #3!
7. Group B says zOMG! The earth is cooling! Build more SUVs! Save the planet! Save the tropical fish from extinction!
8. The current arguments continue
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:5, Funny)
(the pun didn't quite sound right when I used the word orbit)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:3, Funny)
FSM (Score:3, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:1, Funny)
That's not Jupiter... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:2012 (Score:3, Funny)
Bush got into office.
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:4, Funny)
http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/performance?mode_u=off&errors=0&explain=0&mode_p=on&by=collector&mode_w=off&sd=0&site=www.sun.com&site1=&sample=2&submit=Examine&range=5d&maxy=0 [netcraft.com]
Re:solar warming, that's why. (Score:1, Funny)