Something you don't see very often: no sunspots
http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/images/latest_mdi_igram.gif
most recent sunspot was seen on the 19th
http://www.nwra-az.com/spawx/comp.html

Well, the last solar max was one helluva max (double-peaked, in fact), so perhaps this solar min will be of equal magnitude. Happy news is that aircraft & maritime navigation systems--specifically, GPS & LORAN-C, to say nothing of HF radio comms-- are lovin' it!

It does seem as if the sun has a slight hiccup just now:

http://lasp.colorado.edu/sorce/total_solar...nth_640x480.png

There were many days of no sunspots in Nov. & Dec. especially; minimum is such a drag. Spaceweather.com formerly kept track of how many days without 'spots...and then quit giving notice because it'd been so long. That web site gives daily 'spot count, even if it's zero.

But now we're "over the hump" and Cycle #24 has begun (as per other thread in this folder).

No sunspots, but a very enjoyable and succesful "Sunwatch" here in Kendal yesterday...

http://cumbriansky.wordpress.com/2009/08/2...watch-a-success

Hi!

It seems as the new cycle has just began.
If you have a look at this image from Wikipedia you will see that it is a bit late.

Hofi, I think the updated image you should link is this one, really showing hints of the new solar cycle:
http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/images/bfly.gif
Indeed, it seems we are returning to less strong activity pattern we had about 1 century ago...

Dilo, maybe the astronomers of today can see more of the smaller spots than those of 100+ years ago?
I know the Wikipedia chart is based on the area covered, not the number of spots, but surely there
were a lot more unobserved spots back then, and this must account for some of that (until-recently)
steady increase.

A few sunspots appeared but faded away:
http://sites.google.com/site/larrygerstman/the-sun

13 consecutive days without sunspots.

Despite what most thought just a few months ago, apparently the sun has not hit solar minimum yet. This year 79% of the days were without sunspots; last year only 73% of days were with a blank sun.

Indeed, the Sun experienced a special period, but it allowed NASA researchers to show a timely link between the Sun and the climate of Earth's thermosphere, the region above 100 km (roughly 60 miles), an essential step in making accurate predictions of climate change in the high atmosphere. Dramatic cooling in Earth’s upper atmosphere correlates with the declining phase of the current solar cycle.
Results obtained through TIMED mission.
(Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics)
Meanwhile, Sunspot 1040 is a sprawling sunspot group.
http://solarcycle24.com/index2.htm
http://www.n3kl.org/sun/index.html

I struggled with resurrecting a dormant thread, but eventually thought that the this the comment is germane and timely.

Interesting S&T article regarding the current and upcoming solar cycles: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/123844859.html


-- Pertinax