Strange Doings on the Sun

WSJ ^ | Nov. 10, 2013 7:25 p.m. ET | Robert Lee Hotz

[BenLurkin]

To complicate the riddle, the sun also is undergoing one of its oddest magnetic reversals on record.

Normally, the sun's magnetic north and south poles change polarity every 11 years or so. During a magnetic-field reversal, the sun's polar magnetic fields weaken, drop to zero, and then emerge again with the opposite polarity. As far as scientists know, the magnetic shift is notable only because it signals the peak of the solar maximum, said Douglas Biesecker at NASA's Space Environment Center.

But in this cycle, the sun's magnetic poles are out of sync, solar scientists said. The sun's north magnetic pole reversed polarity more than a year ago, so it has the same polarity as the south pole.

[ClearCase_guy]

Our sun is now a magnetic monopole. Who would have thought it?

[BenLurkin]

Not possible.

Do NOT worry about the sun splitting in two.

Won’t happen.

Don’t worry about that possibility.

On the other hand — it might just be getting ready to go nova......

[ShadowAce]

What is it?

It's a medium size star closest to the Earth--but that isn't important right now.

[dfwgator]

[cripplecreek]

Ever shifting solar magnetic field lines.

[BenLurkin]

I wouldn’t have.

I have no idea what that means.

[DBrow]

http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/livingston-penn_sunspots2.pdf

This paper predicts the end of sunspots by 2015.

[dfwgator]

It's a medium size star closest to the Earth--but that isn't important right now.

Thanks for playing. ;)

[Paladin2]

Well, THAT explains Christie’s vote margin.

[MUDDOG]

But such a subtle change in the sun—lowering its luminosity by about 0.1%—wouldn't be enough to outweigh the build-up of greenhouse gases and soot that most researchers consider the main cause of rising world temperatures

Al Gore can breathe easy.

[workerbee]

Our sun is now a magnetic monopole.

Or sumpin' like'at.

[spokeshave]

Welcome King Barack "Canute" Obama the Great.....

...Obama issues an Executive Order to the Sun...

....to increase it's magnetic field....

and make a good crop of sunspots before elections in 2016....

(PhysOrg.com) -- Sunspot formation is triggered by a magnetic field, which scientists say is steadily declining. They predict that by 2016 there may be no remaining sunspots, and the sun may stay spotless for several decades.

The last time the sunspots disappeared altogether was in the 17th and 18th century, and coincided with a lengthy cool period on the planet known as the Little Ice Age....and lasted 400 years.

Good luck surviving with no electricity and GE modified seeds.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news203746768.html#jCp

[ShadowAce]

One of my favorites :)

[MUDDOG]

I had the same thought. It sounds like the beginning of “War of the Worlds” — “Scientists have noted strange explosions on the surface of Mars...”

[BenLurkin]

People of Earth, attention... People of Earth attention.

This is a voice speaking to you from thousands of miles beyond your planet....

Look to your sun for a warning... Look to your sun for a warning.

[The Cajun]

Folks on the sun going to be catching hell using their compasses.

Running away now :)

[ClearCase_guy]

A magnetic monopole is a hypothetical particle in particle physics that is an isolated magnet with only one magnetic pole. Scientists have been probing into quantum physics trying to find this exotic particle, but have had no luck. It features in string theory, as well as the grand unified field theory.

The fact that the sun appears to have a North but no South pole struck me as funny, although clearly it is not a true monopole.

[BenLurkin]

http://www.johnspeedie.com/healy/heyho.wav

[nickcarraway]

Can’t the government declare the sun a blight and use eminent domain to take it over?

[BenLurkin]

Yup.

They wanted to head off the truth before it “got to the pass.”