The Sun

[WA1GFZ]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/10/07/solar.study.climate.change/index.html?hpt=C2

Interesting how the spectrum changed over the last 2 years and what is expected as we start the next cycle

[KM1H]

Gee, that may cause the lawyers to sue the sun and all the media, academic pinheads, and money grubbing politicians to find new causes to justify their worthless existance.

[K1JJ]

The Earth is like a gnat flying around a blast furnace. Whatever the furnace does, so does the gnat. Thank goodness we currently have a benevolent dictator star for our brief visit here. Other places aren't so kind...


I anticipate a "normal" sun spot cycle. That way, if it goes one way or the other, the surprise isn't too big. It appears predicting spot levels (or climate trends) is still like rolling dice at Foxwoods.

T

[WA1GFZ]

It will be interesting to see the spectrum change over the next few years with all the new monitors out in space. Looks like global warming will cut back and UV radiation will go up. Bummer I loved the beach with water at 74 degrees this past summer. Usually it may get to 72 or 73 by labor day. This year we had that the end of July.

[W2PFY]

I wonder how may solar cycles (11 YEARS) most of us on the board have left? Me, maybe two if I live to be ninety something    

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

I'm pretty sure we can't say what makes a "normal" sunspot cycle. We haven't seen enough of them.

I don't really care much about the sunspot cycle. The low bands keep rolling, sunspots or no.

[K1JJ]

Yes, since the sun is about 6 billion years old, we have only a tiny observation period. Just imagine its solar activity when one million years old vs: now.


So, with only about 250 years of observations, the real sunspot minimum to minimum time average is about 10.66 years with cycles as short as 9 years and up to 14 years.  Actual sunspot activity numbers are all over the board, though I didn't look up the average number per cycle.

I won't be disappointed either if this cycle is a dud. After a few sessions on the higher bands shooting fish in a barrel (talking to Pascal on a cell phone) I'm back on the low bands anyway.

What would keep my interest for maybe a few weeks longer is putting up a quad stacked log system like Chas plans...


This chart since 1750 shows maybe ~160 sunspots at the peaks on an average. So I'm gonna hang my shingle out and say cycle 24 will peak at about 160 spots...

http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/images/Zurich_Color_Small.jpg
T

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Your guess is as good as anyone's. 

That high band stuff is boring. When the spots are there, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. Worse still, every hambone with a Carolina Windom is on there screamin'.

[KM1H]

The lack of sunspots hasnt slowed down 6M. Some paths need F2 but the extreme multihop E this minimum has set DX records. Imagine working JA from NH or deep into Asia republics! Or CW pileups where you can work 60-90 an hour for hours.

[W3SLK]

Hey, there were a few of us that proved during the peak sunspot (last sunspot) cycle, we could hold very good communications on 160 on the July 4th weekend ~1PM local time. The signals were low but so was the band noise and it made communications very pleasant.

[W2PFY]

I wuz watching a show on the eclipse of the sun I think from Easter Island. They study the size of the sun and can calculate the size within 20 feet. To me, that is amazing.