Still no sunspots...

[Turtle]

Nearly another month gone by since the first post here and still no spots. Well, there was 998 we looked at, but it was part of cycle #23 and dissapated. Then there was 999, but that did the same. I was going to post it and point out it's 666 if you stand on your head. Anyway, its gone and the Sun is blank today. >> SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

Rather than a minimum however, it may be as MoonTan suggested,

Originally Posted by MoonMan

Maybe the sun is holding back and will really kick our ass with a series of huge flares in a few months or years.

: Here is an article from our Hypography archive predicting an extreme cycle 24: >> http://hypography.com/forums/astrono...lar-cycle.html

[Turtle]

It's the darndest thing! Who ya gonna call?

DailyTech - Sun Makes History: First Spotless Month in a Century

Originally Posted by Michael Asher

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.
...
Article Update, Sep 1 2008. After this story was published, the NOAA reversed their previous decision on a tiny speck seen Aug 21, which gives their version of the August data a half-point. Other observation centers such as Mount Wilson Observatory are still reporting a spotless month. So depending on which center you believe, August was a record for either a full century, or only 50 years. ...

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Originally Posted by MoonMan
Maybe the sun is holding back and will really kick our ass with a series of huge flares in a few months or years.

That's all right...Just so long as I get a heads up when it begins...every time the sun gets to goin good the northern lights are spectacular (they're always very pretty over the lake and one of the few good things about living on the great lakes especially as winter approaches.)

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by DFINITLYDISTRUBD

That's all right...Just so long as I get a heads up when it begins...every time the sun gets to goin good the northern lights are spectacular (they're always very pretty over the lake and one of the few good things about living on the great lakes especially as winter approaches.)

Northern lights are not tied to sunspots, rather to CME's (Coronal Mass Ejections). There is in fact an aurora alert tonight. Keep looking up. >>SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

I knew that

Originally Posted by MoonMan
Maybe the sun is holding back and will really kick our ass with a series of huge flares in a few months or years.

What I was happily noting is Bolded and underlined.
Thanks for the heads up

I imagine you've got one of them fancy solar filters?
I use my welding filters to check out the sun from time to time But sadly no longer own a telescope and have never seen a spot

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by DFINITLYDISTRUBD

I knew that What I was happily noting is Bolded and underlined.
Thanks for the heads up

I did not know that! My bad.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by DFINITLYDISTRUBD

I use my welding filters to check out the sun from time to time But sadly no longer own a telescope and have never seen a spot

Since looking directly at the Sun with the naked eye, through binoculars or a telescope is extremely dangerous, amateur observation of sunspots with the unaided eye is generally done by projection or via using proper filtration. Small sections of very dark filter glass, such as a #14 welder's glass is sometimes employed. The eyepiece of a telescope is also used in the role of a "projector" to project the image, without filtration, on to a white screen where it can be viewed indirectly, and even traced, so sunspot evolution can be followed.

Sunspot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When I took Astronomy classes, we would track sunspots on a paper projection. We don't need SOHO to track sunspots on our own.

[Turtle]

We had a tiny equatorial susnpot show up on September 8, but it quickly disappeared and the Sun continues spotless.
http://www.spaceweather.com/swpod200...5dj8160hkl1qq5

Lots o' prominences though.

Originally Posted by spaceweather.com

SOLAR ACTIVITY: By the standard of sunspot counts, solar activity is low. Maybe there should be another standard:

SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids (September 21st archive page)

[Turtle]

Voila! A cycle 24 spot has appeared since yesterday! http://www.spaceweather.com/images20...r8i6b3rhf77440

More story and links to amateur photos of the new spot archived on the September 22, 2008 Spaceweather page: >> SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

To the Bat Scope!

[litespeed]

Just Three Things

1) There is no consensus current warming is forced by human CO2.

.: U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works :: Minority Page :.

2) Further, cold is bad, warm is good. Believe me, you will not grow tomatoes in Summer Time Chicago the next time it is under half a mile of ice.

Moderation Note: Subsequent discussion involving global warming has been moved to Scientific consensus on the effects and cause of global warming