Solar wind weakest since beginning of space age

The intensity of the sun's million-mile-per-hour solar wind has dropped to its lowest levels since accurate records began half a century ago, scientists say. Measurements of the cosmic blasts of radiation, ejected from the sun's upper atmosphere, were made with the Ulysses spacecraft, a joint mission between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

The solar wind "inflates a protective bubble, or heliosphere, around the solar system," which protects the inner planets against the radiation from other stars, said Dave McComas, Ulysses' solar wind principal investigator and senior executive director at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.

"With the solar wind at an all-time low, there is an excellent chance the heliosphere will diminish in size and strength," said Ed Smith, NASA's Ulysses project scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

"If that occurs, more galactic cosmic rays will make it into the inner part of our solar system," added Smith.

Scientists say the weakening of solar wind appears to be due to changes in the sun's magnetic field, but the causes of these changes are unknown.

The weakened solar activity can be beneficial because it slows satellites around the Earth, allowing them to remain in orbit longer.

The sun normally experiences 11-year-cycles between periods of great activity and lesser activity.

But, Smith said, the Ulysses mission's recent results, published in Geophysical Research Letters, show that "we are in a period of minimal activity that has stretched on longer than anyone anticipated."

Many scientists believe there is a crrelation between solar wind and global warming. The theory is that HIGH solar winds prevent clouds from forming and thus the earth heats faster. IF this is true, and solar winds are at historical (50 years) lows, then if this condition persists, global COOLING should ensue.

The past 8 years HAVE shown a leveling of global temps (or cooling depending on whose data you believe). Since the sun shows very little signs of solar cycle 24 resuming with much vigor, this hypothesis may soon be tested. Rather than have to wait decades to see if the arctic ice disappears, it may be obvious within 5 years that the opposite is occuring, the Arctic ice is expanding.

This summer, the papers all cry out that the ice is at 2 LOWEST level in record history. That 'RECORDED' history is since 1978 when we have had a satellite above the north pole measuring the ice extent. This year saw almost a 10% INCREASE in summer ice coverage over last year, and it appears that ice is reforming more quickly this fall than last fall. If this continues, next summer may see another 10-15% increase in arctic ice extent, and then the Branch Algorians will have a problem on their hands. Their theory of CO2 may very well be disproven within the decade. Whether we have ruined our economy by then by preventing drilling and not building new coal plants for our energy needs is an open question.

"When the sun's energy output is greater, not only does the Earth warm slightly due to direct solar heating, but the stronger solar wind generated during these "high sun" periods blocks many of the cosmic rays from entering our atmosphere. Cloud cover decreases and the Earth warms still more."

“With the solar wind at an all-time low, there is an excellent chance the heliosphere will diminish in size and strength,”...

Not to worry, the Obamanator will just “multitask” it.

Seriously, this comes back into line with what I recall as the prevailing thought of the 70’s, a coming mini ice-age.

Oh. So we really aren’t dealing with “global warming” we are really dealing with “solar warming?” Why that’s remarkable. The Sun warms the Earth? Does the Global Warming Scientific community know this? This is a novel approach that should be looked at.

I heard another rumor that the moon has a gravitational effect on the planet as well! I even heard that the Earth is round and is spinning on it’s own axis AND we are in orbit around the Sun! Why I always thought the sun rose and set per the holy will of the Annointed One, Obamasia. /sarc off

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