Posted on 06/14/2010 7:43:23 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
The sun's temper ebbs and flows on what scientists had thought was a pretty predictable cycle, but lately our closest star has been acting up.
Typically, a few stormy years would knock out a satellite or two and maybe trip a power grid on Earth. Then a few years of quiet, and then back to the bad behavior. But an extremely long stretch of low activity in recent years has scientists baffled and scrambling for better forecasting models.
An expected minimum of solar activity, between 2008 and 2009, was unusually deep. And while the sun would normally ramp up activity by now, heading into its next cycle, the sun may be on the verge of a weak solar cycle instead, astronomers said at the 216th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Miami last month.
"We're witnessing something unlike anything we've seen in 100 years," said David Hathaway of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
The sun's constant interaction with Earth makes it important for solar physicists to keep track of solar activity. Stormy periods can force special safety precautions by satellite operators and power grid managers, and astronauts can be put at risk from bursts of radiation spat out by solar storm. Scientists need to more reliably predict what's in store.
At the conference, four solar physicists presented four very different methods of measuring and tracking solar cycles.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
/johnny
Yeah, we did what we had LICENSE to do...2760khz and 10kw :)
/johnny
The sun’s constant interaction with Earth makes it important for solar physicists to keep track of solar activity......
Whatever did we do before we had solar physicists????
/johnny
Aside from the satellite concerns...just what happens when we stop looking?
My point is not much changes.
Radio propagation changes. A solar flare caused a power outage across Canada and NY, back when.
If things go long enough without them, as in the Dalton and Maunder minimums, we'll have years without a summer.
So, yeah. Things change, bucko, whether you understand it or not.
/johnny
Am an old ham also
A fair amount of hams on here. I’m a “half-fast” extra, snuck in during the window when they dropped the CW but hadn’t rewritten the extra test. Almost got to 20wpm, and was comfortable at 13wpm. I sure blew my first CW test, the VE looked at my copy, looked at me, shook his head.
Here in Alaska, with the sunspots down, it’s hardly worth squeezing the mic. At the last peak, 6 was open to central America and I was working the repeaters on 10 from my car. Now it’s dead.
I kept my advanced ticket, since it is no longer issued it is unique and that kind of sets well with me. Never took the novice exam, went right to General and had no problem with the 13 WPM at the time. Rusty now of course, and it isn’t worth firing up the rig much down here in CA either, although on 40 I can talk to a group in LA in the mornings.
LOL, made me laugh.
I lived in Dallas for awhile. When the moving truck pulled up, I took all the houseplants into the back yard to make room for the unloading of the furniture and boxes.
It was summer.
In Dallas.
So, the movers finally drive away, and I think, oh yeah, the plants.
Welcome to Texas.
I think his point was we can’t do anything about them. To a point that may be correct. But hopefully by studying them we can upgrade our systems. Give warning for an event so we can power some things down, etc.
Just like the weatherman can’t do anything about the weather - they are nice to have around to give you a warning on what might happen in the near future so you can plan ahead.
We Texans will swap temps with you anytime you want. It's not even officially Summer yet, and we're broiling in the mid to upper 90s.
I'm not looking forward to July and August.
Thank you for making my point for me.
“Things change” whether we watch them or not and we can’t do a damn thing about it.
The only manageable reaction we’ve ever had is not to have launched satellites into predited solar events.
.....something I’ve been doing for 39 years now......bucko....
Good to know that and you. I have not been that active due to work and family members that are ill, have thought a lot lately about reviving my ham interests. PC's have taken such a large part of my life for the past 20 years that they almost consume me. Sometimes think I am an analog type lost in a digital world.
it’s always a trip to take a winter vacation in the south and watch the locals put on the long heavy clothes because it’s in the 60’s. Meanwhile I’m running around in shorts and a t-shirt thinking this is great. LOL
..—..
Where's the KABOOM? There's supposed to be an earth shattering KABOOM!
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