A BIG, FAT NEW SUNSPOT!
Written by: Bob Metcalfe
With no major snow threatening over the next several days, I figured I'd write about an interesting little topic that's somewhat "weather related", and happens to be a little more on the warm side of things...
Within the past year, I've started to follow solar activity and "space weather." A great site to check out is www.spaceweather.com I also signed up for their e-mail list, and they are really worked up over this latest sunspot!
Meet sunspot 1035. He's growing rapidly. Apparently he drinks his galactic milk. He's already 7 times the size of the earth. Why do we care? Apparently this activity brings with it a high risk of M-class solar flares. Think of a solar flare as an explosion of biblical proportions.
As cosmic rays from a flare move towards earth, they can throw a wrench in things. M-class flares are considered "medium" on the strength scale, and can cause brief radio-wave blackouts, mainly affecting the earth's polar regions. Something to think about.
But on the weather side, this may mean the awakening of the next solar cycle, Solar Cycle 24. We've had a very inactive stretch of time from the sun, so this could be something of importance.
Okay, you can go back to your snow and cold. Overnight lows will hang in the teens the next few days!
Do you think there is any relationship between sunspot activity and climate? I've read elsewhere that low sunspot activity, as we're seeing now, may translate to colder weather in general. Some folks are doing a lot of research on this.
ReplyDeleteway cool
ReplyDeleteIt has been discussed that the sun plays a role in our climate activity. Let's be honest, the sun is the #1 source of energy for our planet, so to deny that there is some sort of link there would be a stretch. Much research needs to be done, but you are seeing it come up more and more frequently.
ReplyDeleteWe are currently exiting a solar minimum, but this new cycle start has been delayed and delayed and delayed. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the next 10 years or so.