Solar Cycle 24 Begins |
Solar Cycle 24 Begins |
Guest_Sunspot_* |
Jan 4 2008, 07:45 PM
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#1
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Latest from spaceweather.com
SOLAR CYCLE 24: Solar physicists have been waiting for the appearance of a reversed-polarity sunspot to signal the start of the next solar cycle. The wait is over. A magnetically reversed, high-latitude sunspot emerged today: image. If you have a solar telescope, take a look at this important new active region. It marks the beginning of Solar Cycle 24 and the sun's slow ascent back to Solar Maximum. Magnetic Image Visible Light Image |
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Jan 5 2008, 12:38 PM
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 27 Joined: 27-September 07 Member No.: 3919 |
At least here it has been really sunny day, seems to be a good cycle coming...
Happy Birthday Sun! |
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Guest_Sunspot_* |
Jan 5 2008, 12:43 PM
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I'm really excited about this news. Apparently the earlier the cycle beings the more intense it is likely to be.
The spot group is JUST about visible in my telescope, hardly anything more than a few specs.. but a VERY important one!! |
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Jan 5 2008, 05:56 PM
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8785 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Oh, joy. The last double-peaked beauty in '01-'02 royally messed up the Elmendorf AFB C-130 compass systems (rather, the associated geomagnetic storms did). Cycle 22's peak in '87-'88 did the same for A-10s I was working on in Arizona.
It sure was fun to try to explain that the Sun was doing this to a bunch of skeptical high-ranking officers as an enlisted guy, and later as a lowly civil servant. Fortunately, magnetic compasses on aircraft are being rapidly supplanted by dual or triple GPS-aided inertial nav systems these days. -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Jan 8 2008, 12:13 PM
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#5
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 40 Joined: 24-January 06 From: USA Member No.: 659 |
Finally, and I'm glad! Solar minimum is sooooo boring. I know it'll take a while for solar activity to gear up. By 2011/12 I will have a solar telescope (what's the point of buying one now?), and look forward to massive sunspots and raging CME's.
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Guest_Sunspot_* |
Jan 11 2008, 06:03 PM
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#6
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Finally, and I'm glad! Solar minimum is sooooo boring. I know it'll take a while for solar activity to gear up. By 2011/12 I will have a solar telescope (what's the point of buying one now?), and look forward to massive sunspots and raging CME's. Even when the Sun appears blank in visible light there is still a lot to see in H - alpha and other wavelengths. And more Sunspot strangeness reported on spaceweather.com: CURIOUS SUNSPOT: A new sunspot is emerging just south of the sun's equator, and it is a curious one. The spot's magnetic polarity is reversed compared to other nearby magnetic patches on the sun's surface. Reversed-polarity sunspots are signs of a new solar cycle and, indeed, Solar Cycle 24 began just last week. So far, so good. But this spot is near the equator. New-cycle spots are supposed to be at high latitudes--hence the curiosity. Is this a genuine new-cycle spot? A weird old-cycle spot? Image Link |
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Jan 19 2010, 01:29 PM
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#7
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 40 Joined: 24-January 06 From: USA Member No.: 659 |
Funny. I last posted in this thread 2 years ago and NOW (finally...good grief) we are having continuous REAL solar activity.
The news in 2008 proved to be premature. Now I'll consider buying a solar telescope. |
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Guest_Sunspot_* |
Jan 19 2010, 02:17 PM
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It is weird how in the last month the sun seems to have come to life. I suppose things good turn quiet again though - we've had a few false starts
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Jan 19 2010, 02:51 PM
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#9
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 40 Joined: 24-January 06 From: USA Member No.: 659 |
QUOTE we've had a few false starts Yes, that's occurred to me too. I usually check spaceweather.com daily (except for Sundays and Mondays), and lately have been holding my breath a bit: Waiting to see if there'll be another blank Sun...followed by days of same. Hopefully this Cycle has "taken" permanently. The minimum went on for far too long; geez. |
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Guest_PhilCo126_* |
Feb 9 2010, 05:24 PM
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There's also some activity on our Sun's side that's turned away from us;
http://stereo-ssc.nascom.nasa.gov/beacon/beacon_secchi.shtml |
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Feb 9 2010, 10:50 PM
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8785 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Just gotta express some love for STEREO, here. This is a brilliant mission on so many levels; for the first time, we really have comprehensive direct solar activity monitoring, and thus far that's been a somewhat underappreciated achievement.
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Feb 17 2010, 08:31 AM
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2262 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Melbourne - Oz Member No.: 16 |
You know, I think we are going to need an SDO thread. Agreed, this thread isn't really appropriate. I've split the SDO posts off to a new thread -------------------- |
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Dec 29 2010, 02:53 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 808 Joined: 10-October 06 From: Maynard Mass USA Member No.: 1241 |
Here is the latest (DEC-2010) update on Solar Minimum.
It looks like we are coming out. It is safe to say that solar max will be low (80?) and late. What does this say for Cycle 25? -------------------- CLA CLL
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Dec 29 2010, 07:22 PM
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#14
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Member Group: Members Posts: 259 Joined: 23-January 05 From: Seattle, WA Member No.: 156 |
Can someone help out those of us in the peanut gallery? How do you get a negative number of sunspots?
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Dec 29 2010, 11:52 PM
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#15
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Member Group: Members Posts: 890 Joined: 18-November 08 Member No.: 4489 |
QUOTE How do you get a negative number of sunspots? from the standard average a "-" is possible |
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