The lack of sunspots in 2008, made it a century-level year in terms of solar quiet. Remarkably, sunspot counts for 2009 have dropped even lower. As of March 31st, there were no sunspots on 78 of the year's 90 days to date (87%). Posted on 05/03/2009 3:48:42 PM PDT by TaraP
Spotless Days
A spotless day is a day without sunspots, a day when the face of the sun is utterly blank. Spotless days never occur during Solar Max when the sun is active, but they are common during solar minimum, the opposite phase of the 11-year sunspot cycle when the sun is very quiet. By counting spotless days, we can keep track of the depth and longevity of a solar minimum.
By the standard of spotless days, the ongoing solar minimum is the deepest in a century: NASA report. In 2008, no sunspots were observed on 266 of the year's 366 days (73%). To find a year with more blank suns, you have to go all the way back to 1913, which had 311 spotless days (85%): The lack of sunspots in 2008, made it a century-level year in terms of solar quiet. Remarkably, sunspot counts for 2009 have dropped even lower. As of March 31st, there were no sunspots on 78 of the year's 90 days to date (87%).
Current stretch: 9 days Updated April 4, 2009
"Current Stretch" is the number of consecutive days the sun has been blank. The 100-year record is 92 consecutive spotless days in April, May and June of 1913.
2009 Total: 81 days (87%) Updated April 4, 2009
"2009 Total" is the total number of days and the percentage of days in 2009 that the sun has been blank. The 100-year record for a full year is 311 spotless days (85%) in 1913.
Since 2004: 592 days Updated April 4, 2009
The first blank sun of the ongoing solar minimum appeared in 2004. "Since 2004" tells us the total number of spotless days since that time. The 100-year record for total spotless days in an entire multi-year minimum is 1019 spotless days in the years around 1913.
Typical Solar Min: 485 days
Looking back at the last ten solar minima (not including the ongoing minimum), we can count the total number of spotless days in each and calculate an average: 485 spotless days. The average exceeds the number of days in a year because solar minima last much longer than one year. The fact that the ongoing solar minimum has already racked up 590+ spotless days with no end in sight tells us that it is much deeper and longer than average.
NEW: Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 3 days
2009 total: 105 days (85%)
Since 2004: 616 days
Typical Solar Min: 485 days...
It seems to me the lack of sunspots in 1918 might have something to do with the Flu Outbreak...
Maybe that is what we are experiencing?
Al Gore had a 50% chance of picking the right ‘type’ of global ecological disaster.
And he picked global warming.
The Maunder Minimum
Early records of sunspots indicate that the Sun went through a period of inactivity in the late 17th century. Very few sunspots were seen on the Sun from about 1645 to 1715. Although the observations were not as extensive as in later years, the Sun was in fact well observed during this time and this lack of sunspots is well documented. This period of solar inactivity also corresponds to a climatic period called the “Little Ice Age” when rivers that are normally ice-free froze and snow fields remained year-round at lower altitudes. There is evidence that the Sun has had similar periods of inactivity in the more distant past. The connection between solar activity and terrestrial climate is an area of on-going research.
http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/SunspotCycle.shtml
This gives me chills.
This is easy to fix. Implement a sun tax, based on the amount of sunlight required to grow food. Oranges would be taxed highly, while beets would have a lower tax. The money raised would be an investment towards fixing the sun spot problem. The White House vegetable garden would of course be exempt. Problem solved!
Are we doomed? My bag of beans for the Post-swine flu world might still come in handy.
That’s cool!
Quiet Sun Ping
Everyone knows the lack of sunspots and solar flares will bring tornados in Kansas and snow in Colorado, floods along the Red river and earth quakes in Calif.
We’re all gonna die, we’re all gonna die.
Yikes a Sun Tax! next will come a Moon Tax!
Tornadoes, Snownadoes, Flanadoes, EARTHNADOES...
Stop having a borning tuna, stop having a boring life!
:)
It is a Gov plot to stop Shortwave radio propagation ;)
Congress needs to pass legislation to prevent solar cooling.
It sure was chilly this morning when I went for a walk. My better half and I walked around the Cowboys training facility to get a better look at the aftermath of yesterday's storm.
I can't recall it ever being this cool on May 3rd in the Metroplex.
It is down right chilly today, but it got very warm and humid just before the storm yesterday.
You getting this, Sun camera guy?
For some, that is going to be one huge tax!
Deep solar minima mean an increase in cloudy, cool days, which promote colds and flu.
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