Community | September 21, 2009 | 9 comments

Earth approaching sunspot records

source: http://www.cjonline.com/news/local/2009-09-20/earth_approaching_sunspot_records

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The average person may not associate coolness with the sun.

The sun releases energy through deep nuclear fusion reactions in its core and has surface temperatures as hot as 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to NASA's Web site.

Not cool at all.

But the sun's recent activity, or lack thereof, may be linked to the pleasant summer temperatures the midwest has enjoyed this year, said Charlie Perry, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Lawrence.

The sun is at a low point of a deep solar minimum in which there are little to no sunspots on its surface.

In July through August, 51 consecutive days passed without a spot, one day short of tying the record of 52 days from the early 1900s.

As of Sept. 15, the current solar minimum ranks third all-time in the amount of spotless days with 717 since 2004. There have been 206 spotless days in 2009, which is 14th all-time. But there are still more than 100 days left in the year, and Perry expects that number to climb.

Perry, who studies sunspots and solar activity in his spare time, received an undergraduate degree in physics at Kansas State University and a Ph.D in physics and astronomy at The University of Kansas. He also has spent time as a meteorologist.
  1. groups:
    Community,   Green,   Science,   Space
  2. tags:
    Global Warming,  Sun,  meteorology,  sun spots
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9 comments // Earth approaching sunspot records

  • angliss
    • 0
      angliss  

    • What I find amazing is that, even with the sun as quiet as it's been, the global temperatures haven't cooled down - they've been flat.

      Which means that when the number of spots kicks up again, it's going to get REALLY hot.

      As for this summer's weird weather (it was unusually cool and rainy here in CO too), that's more a function of el Nino than anything else. El Nino dominates changes in global weather from year to year.

    • 2 years ago
  • royulery
    • 0
      royulery  

    • the extra energy we are receiving is being stored in the; ice, oceans and atmosphere. we still do not know what the result will be but i would imagine stronger winter storms. i need to get to higher ground!
      i wonder if a balance will need be achieved with a year of more sun spots. the mass ejections during solar maximum cause more immediate damage with the blebs of high energy plasma and magnetic fields ripped from the face of ra, smashing into our little blue world.

    • 2 years ago
  • FishaHouse777
  • MirrorLake
  • FishaHouse777
  • nursediesel
    • 0
      nursediesel  

    • We've had a very cool summer season here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Lot's of rain, bugs, and humidity but cool for summer.
      Many feel we haven't had summer yet!!! I think if you string all sunny hot days together we might have had two weeks worth.

    • 2 years ago
  • iamfree
    • 0
      iamfree  
    • nursediesel:

      same here in central pa...summer was amazing..not too hot and i loved all the rain...it inspired alot of reading and feeding myself information..thanks sun for "chillin" out this time around.

    • 2 years ago
  • manfreddrake
  • iamfree
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