Posted on 12/18/2007 5:40:18 AM PST by Red Badger
The solar physics community is abuzz this week. No, there haven't been any great eruptions or solar storms. The source of the excitement is a modest knot of magnetism that popped over the sun's eastern limb on Dec. 11th, pictured below in a pair of images from the orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).
From SOHO, a UV-wavelength image of the sun and a map showing positive (white) and negative (black) magnetic polarities. The new high-latitude active region is magnetically reversed, marking it as a harbinger of a new solar cycle.
It may not look like much, but "this patch of magnetism could be a sign of the next solar cycle," says solar physicist David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center.
For more than a year, the sun has been experiencing a lull in activity, marking the end of Solar Cycle 23, which peaked with many furious storms in 2000--2003. "Solar minimum is upon us," he says.
The big question now is, when will the next solar cycle begin?
It could be starting now.
"New solar cycles always begin with a high-latitude, reversed polarity sunspot," explains Hathaway. "Reversed polarity " means a sunspot with opposite magnetic polarity compared to sunspots from the previous solar cycle. "High-latitude" refers to the sun's grid of latitude and longitude. Old cycle spots congregate near the sun's equator. New cycle spots appear higher, around 25 or 30 degrees latitude
The region that appeared on Dec. 11th fits both these criteria. It is high latitude (24 degrees N) and magnetically reversed. Just one problem: There is no sunspot. So far the region is just a bright knot of magnetic fields. If, however, these fields coalesce into a dark sunspot, scientists are ready to announce that Solar Cycle 24 has officially begun.
Many forecasters believe Solar Cycle 24 will be big and intense. Peaking in 2011 or 2012, the cycle to come could have significant impacts on telecommunications, air traffic, power grids and GPS systems. (And don't forget the Northern Lights!) In this age of satellites and cell phones, the next solar cycle could make itself felt as never before.
The furious storms won't start right away, however. Solar cycles usually take a few years to build to a frenzy and Cycle 24 will be no exception. "We still have some quiet times ahead," says Hathaway.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on a promising little active region. Will it become the first sunspot of a new solar cycle?
Here's one......
[The furious storms won’t start right away, however. Solar cycles usually take a few years to build to a frenzy and Cycle 24 will be no exception. “We still have some quiet times ahead,” says Hathaway. ]
I am not sure this statement is accurate. History has shown that cycles ramp up rapidly and decay more slowly.
....by lining their pocket with are hard earned money! 
My calendar ends at the end of this month. You have no chance to survive make your time.
We had better get a biopsy of that spot. It doesn’t look good....
lol thanks for the info, and your conclusion = ?, was just what I was thinking...
To: Red Badger Thanks. So if the Solar Cycle peaked in 2001 and is ending doesn’t that mean global warming is also ending? 18 posted on 12/18/2007 5:53:32 AM PST by Just mythoughts
I sure as hell hope so - it’s freezing up here in CT!
Didn’t Al Gore invent solar cycles?
From WIKI: Solar irradiance The total solar irradiance (TSI) is the amount of solar radiative energy impinging on the Earth's upper atmosphere. It is observed to vary in phase with the solar cycle, with yearly averages going from 1365.5 Watt per square meter at solar minimum, up to of 1366.6 at solar maximum, with fluctuations about the means of about +/- 1 Watt per square meter on timescales of a few days (see Figure 4, yellow and red curves). The min-to-max variation, at the 0.1% level, is far too small to affect Earth's climate, but it is worth keeping in mind that continuous reliable measurements of the TSI are only available since 1978; the minimum and maximum levels of solar activity have been remained roughly the same from then to now, spanning cycle 21 through 23.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle
Anyway ... she's a lot cooler now.
Beware of sudden outbursts of uncontrollable energy aimed in your direction......
I don’t have time to read this now,just tell me........ are we going to burn to a crisp or freeze to death?
(I have to get my wardrobe ready)
Best car I ever owned.
Another one in Illinois.
And GM, in their inFINITE knowledge, killed it...........
.......and the meek shall inherit the Earth.................
Yes, that is why the moonbats have started referring to it as "Climate Change".
Sadly the moonbats have been given gravitas under the secular holy science title, and they are first in line on the welfare rolls. And their agenda is to 'save' the earth from US. They are the modern era 'gods' of knowledge.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.