Posted on 02/13/2008 7:53:28 AM PST by Rurudyne
Sun's low magnetic activity may portend an ice age
The Canadian Space Agency’s radio telescope has been reporting Flux Density Values so low they will mean a mini ice age if they continue.
Like the number of sunspots, the Flux Density Values reflect the Sun’s magnetic activity, which affects the rate at which the Sun radiates energy and warmth. CSA project director Ken Tapping calls the radio telescope that supplies NASA and the rest of the world with daily values of the Sun’s magnetic activity a “stethoscope on the Sun”. In this case, however, it is the “doctor” whose health is directly affected by the readings.
This is because when the magnetic activity is low, the Sun is dimmer, and puts out less radiant warmth. If the Sun goes into dim mode, as it has in the past, the Earth gets much colder.
Tapping, who was originally from Kent, says that “Typically as you go through the ten or eleven year solar activity cycle you see the numbers go up or down. The lowest number is 64 or 68. The numbers 71 or 72 are very low, but they usually start to go up. We are at the end of a cycle, but the numbers still haven’t gone up. We have been joking around coffee that we may be seeing the Sun about to shut down.” (To date Tapping has been far more concerned about global warming.)
Here is the link to the latest flux report: http://www.drao-ofr.hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/icarus/www/current_flux.shtml
(Excerpt) Read more at britsattheirbest.com ...
No spots for ... what, 21 days is it now?
We probably won’t beat 1913 for the number of spotless days in a year but we’ll come close.
And for some reason it just seems especially nippy this year. Maybe I’m just finally getting older?
Nice discussion at Watts’ site.
Neat.
I’m still puttering around with this a bit and it seems that we may indeed be heading into a Gore-Hansen Minimum.
SC24, according to some folks, may top out with a ‘maximum’ sunspot number well below 100 at any rate.
Still low.
Hey how have you been?
Pretty good, I suppose.
Still having writers block on my novels even as my ramblings on matters of Law continue to improve and gain nuance. Here’s a fairly recent sample: http://Rurudyne.deviantart.com/art/WE-THE-PEOPLE-s-Rights-150556681
So how have you been?
Doing well here. Interesting site by the way. Looks like the sun may be ramping up again...but very slow.
I remember all those times that scientist would predict the strength of Solar Cycle 24 ... only to revise it down later. And again. And again....
Yet I’m glad it’s finally going to ramp up.
Only it seems we may be climbing to the top of something rather more like Iron Mountain (in Georgia) than Pike’s Peak — nudge-wink!
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