Climate Change... In 2013, the sun was in the peak year of its 11-year solar weather cycle, our closest star was rather quiet over all, scientists say. Last years solar maximum shaped up to be the weakest in 100 years and the next one could be even more quiescent, scientists said Thursday (July 11,2013). About every 11 years, since about 1745 (after the mini ice age in England when we had little or no sunspot activity), the sun goes through a cycle defined by an increasing and then decreasing number of sunspots. Solar Cycle 24 has been underway since 2008 and its peak was expected in 2013, but there were fewer sunspots observed last year compared with the maximums of the last several cycles. Giuliana de Toma, a scientist at the High Altitude Observatory in Colorado, said the sunspots occurring during a calm maximum have the same brightness and area as the ones observed during a more turbulent peak. We just have fewer of them and this is normal, de Toma said during Thursdays briefing. This is why weak cycles are weak. During a solar maximum, the number of sunspots increases. These dark temporary regions on the surface of the sun are thought to be caused by interplay between the suns plasma and its magnetic field. Sunspots are the source of the solar flares and ejections that can send charge particles hurtling toward Earth, which can damage satellites, surge power grids, cause radio blackouts and, more benignly, produce dazzling auroras above the planet.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 19:57:40 +0000
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