A Major Drop in Solar Activity is Predicted -- Next Solar Cycle May Not Happen at All
Since 1611, humans have recorded the comings and goings of black spots on the sun. The number of sunspots wax and wane over approximately an 11-year cycle -- more sunspots generally mean more activity and eruptions on the sun and vice versa. The number of sunspots can change from cycle to cycle and 2009 saw the longest and weakest solar minimum since scientists have been monitoring the sun with space-based instruments. Scientists at the National Solar Observatory (NSO) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) are reporting on research that indicates the next 11-year solar sunspot cycle will be greatly reduced or may not happen at all.
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<br><br>Thanks to Don Allen for finding this very interesting news item and pointing it out to me. <br><br>Thanks, <br><br>Guy Pirro <br>
More thanks!!!
Let's remember in 2003 IIRC a global warming scientist in England said that in a few years children will see very little if any snow. Nature can pitch us some wild curve balls for sure.
a doublestack filter for my Lunt 60. Figures. <img class='' src='http://new.astromart.com/astromart/javascripts/sceditor/emoticons/smile.png' alt='smile' title='smile'/>
At least you can use it for the Venus transit next year. 8O
and yet, not so very long ago, the very opposite was predicted.....typical...<br>if your're asked to predict the outcome of a coin flip, and you choose heads AND tails,<br>the odds are pretty good one of those choices will be correct.<br>check out http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=10&month=06&year=2011<br>only a few days ago, hardly looks like a harbinger of a<br>maunder minimum to me.....
Even when the sun is quiet these coronal mass ejections occur...just not very often. 8)
Here we go again!!!!!!!! They're just as accurate in giving the long range weather forecast !!!!!!!!
Let me just say this to all you skeptics out there. There is something called the Poleward branch flow (sort of like the jet stream on earth) that HAS to occur for sunspots to appear in the next cycle (#25). As of now it has not started and is currently 3 years late. If it started tomorrow, cycle 25 will just be a few years late which also means the minumum between 24 and 25 will be very long. If it does not start at all there will be no cycle 25. Time of course will tell.
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