Solar and Aurora Activity Chat

[SteveB]

Isn't it amazing, there was no indication that this latest spot would form as late as 22:00 last night. I suppose is shows that there is still a huge amount we don't know.

Have you seen the magnetic filament at http://www.spaceweather.com ?

Crazy things those magnetic filaments, it still amazes me how big the sun is & as you say we know very little about it.

Yeah the Sunspot just popped up out of nowhere, the flux I would have thought would have increased slightly. Hope it's just a blip, and it will disappear as quick as it came.

[SteveB]

Sunspot 1072 has grown and could produce some C-class flares, solar flux has risen to 73.

[picog]

http://www.solarcycle24.com/

The sun remains very quiet. Sunspot 1072 is now decaying. A small speck appeared in the northern hemisphere, but it has faded. I don't think this is being counted as a spot. Unless the number of sunspots increases significantly, the predicted numbers will be very inaccurate.

[OldGreggsTundraBoy]

hhm solarflux generally on a low these past 2 months,

think your getting a ramp up..

then its like ramp up fails >.< :/

[picog]

Three more sunspots were numbered in the last day or two. Now up to 1075. The face of the sun facing earth today is nearly blank of sunspots, with only 1073 partially visible. So, still a very quite sun, and no immediate change expected.

[SP1986]

1076 has appeared, 18 sunspots observed on the surface. NASA say there could be a C-Class flare from this.

[jonboy]

1076 has appeared, 18 sunspots observed on the surface. NASA say there could be a C-Class flare from this.

Reading your post Stephen would infer that there 18 sunspots visible. That is not the case there is one sunspot visible and that is numbered 1076. !076 has fluctuated in size over the last couple of days and may well last for a few days more. Most of the more recently numbered sunspots are better called specks and would not have been counted in previous times. I think it is still fair to say that cycle 24 continues to be way below what was predicted and even appears to below cycle 5 which was the lead into the little ice age

[Crepuscular Ray]

Reading your post Stephen would infer that there 18 sunspots visible. That is not the case there is one sunspot visible and that is numbered 1076. !076 has fluctuated in size over the last couple of days and may well last for a few days more. Most of the more recently numbered sunspots are better called specks and would not have been counted in previous times. I think it is still fair to say that cycle 24 continues to be way below what was predicted and even appears to below cycle 5 which was the lead into the little ice age

Explanation of sunspot number from Spaceweather.com:

http://spaceweather.com/glossary/sunspotnumber.html

[Crepuscular Ray]

Weird: now the spots that are emerging are in the southern hemisphere while those emerging over the previous few months were in the north:

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/mdi_igr/1024/latest.html

Ho hum.

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

Weird: now the spots that are emerging are in the southern hemisphere while those emerging over the previous few months were in the north:

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/mdi_igr/1024/latest.html

Ho hum.

I don't think that's particularly unusual, plus the fact that the South has been even quieter than the North so some degree of balance being restored

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

Explanation of sunspot number from Spaceweather.com:

http://spaceweather.com/glossary/sunspotnumber.html

And here's another link where a different group try to keep comparisons on an equal footing, so that specks are not counted

http://www.landscheidt.info/?q=node/50

All subjective of course

Edited June 11, 2010 by NorthNorfolkWeather

[pottyprof]

An interesting read from New Scientist. Lots of unknowns about the sun.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627640.800-whats-wrong-with-the-sun.html?page=1

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

An interesting read from New Scientist. Lots of unknowns about the sun.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627640.800-whats-wrong-with-the-sun.html?page=1

Hi PP,

I bought that copy of NS because of the cover, but I found the article itself very poor. One part refers to the sun "shrinking", when you read the article it says there is an unprecedented decline in the Total Solar Irradiance, not that the sun is shrinking. It took me less than 10 minutes using Google to discover a paper that says that TSI does indeed vary over a cycle, so unless I misread it, the article was wrong. If I did misread it, there are some other articles from a few weeks ago saying that the sun's size is surprisingly constant.

I was not impressed, I used to buy NS every week, but now I find it's been 'dumbed down' quite a bit.

[snowray]

Do we have a blank today, or are they going to count those small specks? http://nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cc_confused.gif

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

Do we have a blank today, or are they going to count those small specks? http://nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cc_confused.gif

Solarcycle24's view of the sun has the remains of 1081, but I agree with you that they are speck, not spots

Spaceweather's looks out of date as it's showing both 1080 and 1081. I thought 1080 disappeared on Saturday

The Layman's sunspot count says spotless

Edited June 14, 2010 by NorthNorfolkWeather

[snowray]

Solarcycle24's view of the sun has the remains of 1081, but I agree with you that they are speck, not spots

Spaceweather's looks out of date as it's showing both 1080 and 1081. I thought 1080 disappeared on Saturday

The Layman's sunspot count says spotless

Yes its just 1081 left in view, I love the laymans count.

[picog]

Yes its just 1081 left in view, I love the laymans count. http://nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/whistling.gif

I think the sun could be blank today — 1081 was almost out of view yesterday. Yes, the layman's count is fantastic, and quite different to the high-tech count.

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

I think the sun could be blank today — 1081 was almost out of view yesterday. Yes, the layman's count is fantastic, and quite different to the high-tech count.

Looks as though we have another area of activity rotating into view as 1081 heads of into the sunset http://nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/whistling.gif

Space weather is highlighting it, but doesn't look as though there are any spots at the moment.

Solar flux is quite steady at 76, would expect it to be averaging in the high 80's at this point in a cycle

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

Now they all agree.....

Blank

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

Another Blank day and Solar Flux down to 72

Edited June 16, 2010 by NorthNorfolkWeather

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

Another Day, so far, another Blank

Solar flux steady at 72

[SteveB]

Sunspeck has been counted, 1082. Solar flux down to 70.

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

Sunspeck has been counted, 1082. Solar flux down to 70.

And have you seen the image of it? Your description of it as a speck is spot on, no way would that have been seen in days gone by.

Why do they number these specks?

Edited June 18, 2010 by NorthNorfolkWeather

[snowray]

And have you seen the image of it? Your description of it as a speck is spot on, no way would that have been seen in days gone by.

Why do they number these specks?

Grrrrr, stick with the laymans count, we know better!

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

Grrrrr, stick with the laymans count, we know better!

Well, unless 1082 puts in some impressive growth, the Laymans count will be zero.