As I've said here before, I follow some nerdy websites on a daily basis which keep me informed about things that alot of people don't worry about.
Places like Volcano Live.com reports information about volcanos all over the planet, and Spaceweather.com keeps me up to date with various things of interest in the night sky and lets me know when to look for the International Space Station and the Shuttle flying overhead.
That said, you can imagine how this story on Drudge Report about the Sun spending an entire MONTH without having any visible sunspots piqued my interest.
Read along with me this morning:
Drop in solar activity has potential effect for climate on earth.
The sun has reached a milestone not seen for nearly 100 years: an entire month has passed without a single visible sunspot being noted.
The event is significant as many climatologists now believe solar magnetic activity – which determines the number of sunspots -- is an influencing factor for climate on earth.
According to data from Mount Wilson Observatory, UCLA, more than an entire month has passed without a spot. The last time such an event occurred was June of 1913. Sunspot data has been collected since 1749.
When the sun is active, it's not uncommon to see sunspot numbers of 100 or more in a single month. Every 11 years, activity slows, and numbers briefly drop to near-zero. Normally sunspots return very quickly, as a new cycle begins.
But this year -- which corresponds to the start of Solar Cycle 24 -- has been extraordinarily long and quiet, with the first seven months averaging a sunspot number of only 3. August followed with none at all. The astonishing rapid drop of the past year has defied predictions, and caught nearly all astronomers by surprise.
You see, for those of you out there that haven't been paying attention (and I don't think any less of you if you haven't), the sun has just ended one of it's long pulsating cycles (11 years they say) recently and, in spite of what Owl Gore and the booger eating, panty waisted, tree hugging, Kumbaya singing liberal eco-fascists say, the earth's atmosphere hasn't had any choice but to take notice of the Sun's behavior.
Funny thing...but I agree that it's the SUN, not cars and Steel Mills, which cause the temperature to fluctuate every summer and winter on our lovely planet.
I think they taught us this concept in Kindergarten or the first grade, and missing a couple of days of class with the Mumps or Measles didn't excuse you from going forward in life embracing the idea.
The media and the "Man Made Global Warming Hysterists" refuse to acknowledge this fact, because they don't believe in anything they can't see...
Until...these photos are released later this morning, showing the new sunspot cycle starting again. Take a look at the digital images I took from my telescope in my back yard yesterday afternoon:
Scary stuff...Right?
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