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Solar astronomers can now predict future sunspots. There should be a big one in a couple of days
universe today ^ | November 25, 2020 by | Brian Koberlein

Posted on 11/26/2020 8:31:30 PM PST by BenLurkin

The surface of the Sun is a turbulent dance of gravity, plasma, and magnetic fields. Much like the weather on Earth, its behavior can seem unpredictable, but there are patterns to be found when you look closely.

The first pattern to be observed on the solar surface was that of sunspots. Sunspots were noticed by a few ancient astronomers, but they have been regularly studied since the 1600s. As astronomers counted the number of spots seen each year, they found the Sun goes through active years and quiet years. There is an 11-year cycle of high and low sunspot counts. There are other cycles as well, such as the Gleisberg Cycle, which lasts 80 – 90 years.

These patterns are similar to the tornado seasons of the American Midwest, or the El Niño/La Niña cycles of the Pacific. These large patterns have a regularity that makes them easy to anticipate. But while predicting sunspot cycles is relatively easy, predicting the appearance of an individual sunspot is not.

(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy
KEYWORDS: sunspots
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1 posted on 11/26/2020 8:31:30 PM PST by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

Post the grand episode when it appears, and don’t forget.


2 posted on 11/26/2020 8:35:03 PM PST by Fungi
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To: BenLurkin

Sun Spot Minority Report.


3 posted on 11/26/2020 8:37:18 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (You are in far more danger from an authoritarian government than you are from a seasonal virus.)
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To: BenLurkin; All
Image result for babcock model sunspot

Image result for babcock model sunspot

Image result for babcock model sunspot


4 posted on 11/26/2020 8:37:30 PM PST by ETL (REAL Russia collusion! DEMOCRAT-Russia collusion!! Click ETL...)
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To: BenLurkin

2020


5 posted on 11/26/2020 8:39:20 PM PST by Pollard (Bunch of curmudgeons)
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To: BenLurkin

sun shmun- but can they predict liver spots?


6 posted on 11/26/2020 8:39:56 PM PST by Bob434
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To: All
The solar disk is approximately 109 earth diameters wide.

Image result for sun earth scale


With that in mind, here is the current level of sunspot activity...


The image below is called a Magnetogram. It displays the magnetic polarity of various regions of the Sun. Note the polarities at the current sunspot locations.


Image result for sun earth scale

7 posted on 11/26/2020 8:45:42 PM PST by ETL (REAL Russia collusion! DEMOCRAT-Russia collusion!! Click ETL...)
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To: BenLurkin

Sunspots rank high on the list of civilization-ending events.


8 posted on 11/26/2020 8:58:17 PM PST by freedomjusticeruleoflaw (Strange that a man with his wealth would have to resort to prostitution.)
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To: BenLurkin

Is there any way we can stop this?!!?


9 posted on 11/26/2020 9:00:44 PM PST by FreeperCell
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To: FreeperCell

Round up the left and sacrifice them to the Sun god.


10 posted on 11/26/2020 9:02:50 PM PST by Fledermaus (FIRE BILL BARR AND RECESS APPOINT RIC GRENELL!)
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To: All; BenLurkin
From BBC News [yr: 2004]:

"A new [2004] analysis shows that the Sun is more active now than it has been at anytime in the previous 1,000 years. Scientists based at the Institute for Astronomy in Zurich used ice cores from Greenland to construct a picture of our star's activity in the past.

They say that over the last century the number of sunspots rose at the same time that the Earth's climate became steadily warmer."..."In particular, it has been noted that between about 1645 and 1715, few sunspots were seen on the Sun's surface.

This period is called the Maunder Minimum after the English astronomer who studied it. It coincided with a spell of prolonged cold weather often referred to as the "Little Ice Age". Solar scientists strongly suspect there is a link between the two events - but the exact mechanism remains elusive."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3869753.stm

__________________________________________

From NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory's "Not So Frequently Asked Questions" section:

Q-Does the number of sunspots have any effect on the climate here on Earth?

A-Sunspots are slightly cooler areas on the surface of the Sun, due to the intense magnetic fields, so they radiate a little less energy than the surroundings. However, there are usually nearby areas associated with the sunspots that are a little hotter (called falculae), and they more than compensate. The result is that there is a little bit more radiation coming from the Sun when it has more sunspots, but the effect is so small that it has very little impact on the weather and climate on Earth.

However, there are more important indirect effects: sunspots are associated with what we call "active regions", with large magnetic structures containing very hot material (being held in place by the magnetism). This causes more ultraviolet (or UV) radiation (the rays that give you a suntan or sunburn), and extreme ultraviolet radiation (EUV). These types of radiation have an impact on the chemistry of the upper atmosphere (e.g. producing ozone). Since some of these products act as greenhouse gases, the number of sunspots (through association with active regions) may influence the climate in this way.

Many active regions produce giant outflows of material that are called Coronal Mass Ejections. These ejections drag with them some of the more intense magnetic fields that are found in the active regions. The magnetic fields act as a shield for high-energy particles coming from various sources in our galaxy (outside the solar system). These "cosmic rays" (CRs) cause ionization of molecules in the atmosphere, and thereby can cause clouds to form (because the ionized molecules or dust particle can act as "seeds" for drop formation).

If clouds are formed very high in the atmosphere, the net result is a heating of the Earth - it acts as a "blanket" that keeps warmth in.

If clouds are formed lower down in the atmosphere, they reflect sunlight better than they keep heat inside, so the net result is cooling.

Which processes are dominant is still a matter of research.

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/classroom/notsofaq.html#SUNSPOT_CLIMATE

11 posted on 11/26/2020 9:04:45 PM PST by ETL (REAL Russia collusion! DEMOCRAT-Russia collusion!! Click ETL...)
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To: freedomjusticeruleoflaw
Sunspots rank high on the list of civilization-ending events.

No they don't.
12 posted on 11/26/2020 9:06:54 PM PST by SpaceBar
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To: SpaceBar

I’m pretty sure he/she meant that sarcastically.


13 posted on 11/26/2020 9:13:15 PM PST by ETL (REAL Russia collusion! DEMOCRAT-Russia collusion!! Click ETL...)
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To: BenLurkin

I looked in Miami. I looked in Negril.

The closest I came was a month old bill.

I checked the Bahamas, they said she was gone.

I can’t understand why she did me so wrong.

...but she picked up her bags and she took off down the road.


14 posted on 11/26/2020 9:15:23 PM PST by Eddie01 (too exhausted to apply the sarc tag)
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To: ETL

Man, I hope so.


15 posted on 11/26/2020 9:17:03 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: SpaceBar; freedomjusticeruleoflaw
>> Sunspots rank high on the list of civilization-ending events.

> No they don't.

They don't CAUSE the end of civilization. But they're related to CME's, and sufficiently large CME's definitely ARE civilization ending events.

16 posted on 11/26/2020 9:17:10 PM PST by dayglored ("Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government."`)
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To: dayglored

How many civilizations are known to have been wiped out by a CME?


17 posted on 11/26/2020 9:19:46 PM PST by SpaceBar
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To: dayglored

I’ll stand by my statement.


18 posted on 11/26/2020 9:26:08 PM PST by freedomjusticeruleoflaw (Strange that a man with his wealth would have to resort to prostitution.)
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To: SpaceBar

This is 2020, normal does not apply. Everything is a civilization ending event.


19 posted on 11/26/2020 9:27:54 PM PST by OldGoatCPO (No Caitiff Choir of Angles will sing for me)
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To: freedomjusticeruleoflaw

We need evidence!/s


20 posted on 11/26/2020 9:30:47 PM PST by caww ( )
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