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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: The silent sun: Eerie image revealed as solar activity remains the quietest it has been in more than a century - and some claims it could even trigger a mini ice age We've had smallest number of sunspots in this cycle since Cycle 14 This cycle reached its maximum solar activity in February of 1906 Low solar activity can lead to extended periods of cooling, researchers say The sun is in the midst of its quietest period in more than a century. Several days ago, it was in 'cue ball' mode, with an incredible image from Nasa showing no large visible sunspots seen on its surface. Astronomers say this isn't unusual, and solar activity waxes and wanes in 11-year cycles, and we're currently in Cycle 24, which began in 2008. However, if the current trend continues, then the Earth could be headed for a 'mini ice age' researchers have warned. Scroll down for video The sun is in the midst of its quietest period in more than a century. Several days ago, it was in 'cue ball' mode, with an incredible image from Nasa showing no large visible sunspots seen on its surface +5 The sun is in the midst of its quietest period in more than a century. Several days ago, it was in 'cue ball' mode, with an incredible image from Nasa showing no large visible sunspots seen on its surface THE SOLAR CYCLE Conventional wisdom holds that solar activity swings back and forth like a simple pendulum. At one end of the cycle, there is a quiet time with few sunspots and flares. At the other end, solar max brings high sunspot numbers and frequent solar storms. It's a regular rhythm that repeats every 11 years. Reality is more complicated. Astronomers have been counting sunspots for centuries, and they have seen that the solar cycle is not perfectly regular. We've had the smallest number of sunspots in this cycle since Cycle 14, which reached its maximum in February of 1906. 'With no sunspots actively flaring, the sun's X-ray output has flatlined,' wrote Vencore Weather. 'The number of nearly or completely spotless days should increase over the next few years as we continue to move away from the solar maximum phase of cycle 24 and approach the next solar minimum phase and the beginning of solar cycle 25.' 'The current level of activity of solar cycle 24 seems close to that of solar cycle number 5, which occurred beginning in May 1798 and ending in December 1810,' added an analysis by Watts Up With That. The previous solar cycle, Solar Cycle 23, peaked in 2000-2002 with many furious solar storms. During Solar Max, huge sunspots and intense solar flares are a daily occurrence. Auroras appear in Florida. Radiation storms knock out satellites. The last such episode took place in the years around 2000-2001. During Solar Minimum, the opposite occurs. Solar flares are almost non-existent while whole weeks go by without a single, tiny sunspot to break the monotony of the blank sun. This is what we are experiencing now. Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3444633/What-happened- sun-Solar-activity-remains-quietest-century-trigger-mini-ice- age.html#ixzz40F7rOqNC Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Ada (#0)
If the sun goes to a minimum and we enter another mini-ice age, burning coal and oil will not help even if CO2 was a factor because after the oceans cool, they will start absorbing CO2 instead of releasing it.
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