Warning: Sunspot cycle beginning to rise

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/8/09 | AP

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON – The sun is moving into a busier period for sunspots. Forecasters expect a relatively mild outbreak by historical standards, but one major solar storm can cause havoc with satellites and electrical systems.

Researcher Doug Biesecker (BEE-sec-ker) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's space weather prediction center compared solar storms to hurricanes: A weak cycle may mean fewer storms, but even one powerful one can be devastating.

[NormsRevenge]

Just when you thought it was time to get the mukluks out..

[Red Badger]

Swine flu?...............

[NormsRevenge]

Current Space Weather Conditions
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/

from

NOAA/ National Weather Service
National Centers for Environmental Prediction
Space Weather Prediction Center

[NormsRevenge]

not much on the Alerts Chart page

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/alerts/alerts_timeline.html

[steve86]

WASHINGTON – The sun is moving into a busier period for sunspots.

Compared to "Zero"?

[TaraP]

May 8th No Sunspots... On May 5th and 6th, magnetic fields in the vicinity of these regions erupted, hurling at least three coronal mass ejections (CMEs) into space. Since then, no explosions have been observed. The sunspots probably located at the base of these active regions might be in decay--or they might be regrouping for a new round of CMEs. We'll find out when the sun's rotation turns the active zone toward Earth for a better view in the days ahead. Readers with solar telescopes should train their optics on the eastern limb.

[EGPWS]

The sun is moving into a busier period for sunspots.

It's a carbon issue.

[John123]

We can't just stand around... we need to throw billions of dollars at this problem...

Let's get a spokesman... Oh Al? Are you busy at the moment?

[poobear]

Yep, another ‘crisis’.

[backwoods-engineer]

What is AP/Yahoo’s point in putting this article out? We are still at the bottom of Cycle 23, and Cycle 24 really hasn’t gotten started yet. (http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SolarCycle/index.html). I’m an amateur radio operator, and the bands I use (particularly 15 & 10 meters) are heavily dependent on sunspot activity for worldwide communications. These bands are dead, and AP is talking about a solar storm? In 4 YEARS, maybe.

I bet they need something else to get the population roiling in fear, and they’re floating trial balloons like this one.

[xcamel]

http://spaceweather.com/

...still looks pretty blank to me...

[NormsRevenge]

I hear ya,, it’s a non-article but.. maybe this piece is just to sell more sun screen.

Good luck with the radio. we may need ya when disaster strikes.

[SaraJohnson]

“A recent report by the National Academy of Sciences found that if a storm as severe as one in 1859 occurred today, it could cause $1 trillion to $2 trillion in damage the first year and require four to 10 years for recovery.”

Well, thank goodness we have dear leader and the banksters in charge. A couple of trillion is a drop in the bucket.

[Huskrrrr]

Global warmiing is causing an increase in sun spots. Blame Bush. Details at ten (after the Obama news conference).

[NormsRevenge]

Man, that is quiet.

[KarlInOhio]

Warning: Sunspot cycle beginning to rise

Warning? How long ago was the last "The sunspots are extinct and thus we are sure to DIE!!!!!" article?

Did they post a "Warning: First robin of spring sighted"?

[ckilmer]

No. Its a grudging admission that the sun may have something to do with heat.

[EGPWS]

...it could cause $1 trillion to $2 trillion in damage the first year and require four to 10 years for recovery.”

Nothing a printing press on a 24 hour solar day schedule can't handle.

[LasVegasMac]

I’m an amateur radio operator,

Ditto.

Some good solar news for a change!

[re_tail20]

Don’t we still have SOHO (Solar and Helioscopic Observatory) midway between the Earth and the Sun which functions as a de facto early warning?

[EGPWS]

I’m an amateur radio operator,...

: - D

Like minds...

[Bobkk47]

This report is laughable. First of all, as of today, there are NO sunspots on the sun. Secondly, it says,

"A recent report by the National Academy of Sciences found that if a storm as severe as one in 1859 occurred today, it could cause $1 trillion to $2 trillion in damage the first year and require four to 10 years for recovery."

It's all speculation...IF a storm as severe as the one in 1859 occurred today...it COULD cause...damage!

What I'm reading from this newsblurb is the AP's fervent hope that sunspots reappear so that "global warming" will pick up. Because if the sunspots don't reappear, then we may have a repeat of the Maunder Minimum and another "Little Ice Age" will be on the horizon.

[LibLieSlayer]

This is another false start... we are still in cycle 23.

LLS

[HossB86]

Sounds good to me and all the other Amateur Radio Ops out there!

Hoss!

[DBrow]

Yawn. We dealt with all of the flares LAST cycle, why are flares from this cycle expected to be bigger?

If anything new designs take into account what we learned from all the X-class flares of the ‘90s, especially for space hardware.

Plus, I don’t see much evidence that the next cycle has kicked off.

(Tinfoil will not protect your corpus callosum from flares).

[American in Israel]

More importantly, if we do not get sunspots this cycle I have read that we may have a winter without summer cycle again, a record busting global cooling cycle...

[flash2368]

NOAA - “May 8 -A new active period of Earth-threatening solar storms will be the weakest since 1928 and its peak is still four years away, after a slow start last December, predicts an international panel of experts led by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.”

Interesting that Yahoo managed to leave this sentence out of their news report...and only included the worst sounding part of what NOAA released.

[EGPWS]

It's all speculation...

Isn't that enough to consider it a crisis?

[ChicagahAl]

"A couple of trillion is a drop in the bucket."

Depends on the ethnicity of the residents involved.

If they need to rebuild a chocolate city, untold trillions could be involved.

If it's a vanilla city. Not a dime. Clean up your own mess.

[Right Wing Assault]

I guess they didn’t think the full details were all that important. Why wreck a good story with the truth?

[Mark17]

Warning: Sunspot cycle beginning to rise

I wonder if Al Gore wants to outlaw sunspots?

[Never on my watch]

Didn't the National Endowment for the Arts pay a million dollars for a painting just like this?

[coalman]

well CME’s are and have been happening but No sunspots,except micro ones,some of those are old cycle,so predictions from these clowns cost what? too much I am sure,I am predicting no real sunspots till 1011-12,,mini-ice age,,time to stock up on coal and wood. Of course,you will have to buy from a dealer on a street corner and only burn at night!

[Sherman Logan]

FTM, it is entirely possible we’re entering a Big Ice Age.

For the last few millions years, we’ve spend most of the time in Ice Ages, averaging roughly 100,000 years each. They are separated by interglacial periods, averaging 10,000 years each.

We’re about 11,500 years into the present interglacial.

Do your own math.

[sportutegrl]

No sunspots = crisis.

Sunspots = crisis.

OMG! OMG! OMG! WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!

[1010RD]

You cannot expect the unvarnished truth. What would you do wiht it if you got it?

Better let us decide for you...

[Clioman]

The ONLY certainty in any of this is that it’s Bush’s fault.

[1010RD]

wiht = with (in Chicago)

[Never on my watch]

Crisis, crisis - yadda, yada

Wake me up when the Sun explodes...

[EGPWS]

The ONLY certainty in any of this is that it’s Bush’s fault.

And it's a crisis.

[ApplegateRanch]

How strange that the short, choppy “coulda, woulda, shoulda’ article gives no evidence that even vaguely supports the headline.

Meanwhile...

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 7 days
2009 total: 109 days (86%)
Since 2004: 620 days
Typical Solar Min: 485 days
explanation | more info
Updated 07 May 2009

[wafflehouse]

Warning: Sunspot cycle beginning to rise

LOL sunspot count = ZERO

[ZX12R]

How strange that the short, choppy “coulda, woulda, shoulda’ article gives no evidence that even vaguely supports the headline.

Yes. You'd think they'd at least wait till the current minimum is actually and obviously over.

[WOBBLY BOB]

...and only more taxation and creation of another gubermint agency will help.

[calex59]

Ham operators the world over are rejoicing. No sun spots means very poor skip conditions. I think we are going to be in a minimum for quite some time. The leftards are pinning their hopes on this, so they can once again tout global warming, and scream “See, the sun spots are back, we are all going to die!”.

[Old Professer]

Biesecker is a PR man; check out http://wattsupwiththat.com/ for today’s problems with the official site...

[gargoyle]

...Wake me when it catches fire...

[EGPWS]

...and only more taxation and creation of another gubermint agency will help.

Evil companies spurred on by freedom and greed need to be stifled and government needs to take charge for the betterment of humankind.

It's best for us as a whole..

[freebird5850]

I got some short propagation from Alberta to Wa. on 10m last weekend.

[EGPWS]

OMG! OMG! OMG! WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!

Trust me, as EGPWS, I place my namesake on the guarantee that your statement is 100% correct. ; )