INTERESTING
2008 SUNSPOT Activity: Among lowest years in last 100 years
According to SpaceWeather.com: Final sunspot counts for the year 2008 are now available and the numbers are very low. The sun was utterly blank--that is, it had no sunspots whatsoever--on 266 days last year. That makes 2008 a century-class year in terms of low sunspot numbers. To find a year with more blank suns, you have to go all the way back to 1913, which had 311 spotless days. Now for the good news: Evidence is mounting that the deep solar minimum of 2008 is coming to an end; we can expect a livelier sun in 2009. Time will tell.
2008 SUNSPOT Activity: Among lowest years in last 100 years
According to SpaceWeather.com: Final sunspot counts for the year 2008 are now available and the numbers are very low. The sun was utterly blank--that is, it had no sunspots whatsoever--on 266 days last year. That makes 2008 a century-class year in terms of low sunspot numbers. To find a year with more blank suns, you have to go all the way back to 1913, which had 311 spotless days. Now for the good news: Evidence is mounting that the deep solar minimum of 2008 is coming to an end; we can expect a livelier sun in 2009. Time will tell.
My old colleague at Marshall has been saying things like this for a couple of years now. He may be right, but others in the field are far from optimistic. Your fellow blogger over at wattsupwiththat.com is a good place to get a wider view of the issues, with references.
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Thank you so much. Just looked at his site and will keep up with it as suggested. I don't mean to over-simplify this issue.
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