No Sunspots- a 50 year low!

In class we discussed sunspot and other solar activities. I set up the refractor telescope after class in order to image the sun so that you could see some sunspots; but there appeared to be nothing there!  Nothing.  I thought that was very strange, so I did some research.  Guess what?  Just this month NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center announced that we are in the midst of a deep minimum of the solar cycle the likes of which have not been seen since BEFORE the launch of Sputnik (see earlier blogs), even before Mr. Mueller was born!  You have to go back to 1954 to find a year with a quieter sun. If the trend continues, it could end up being the quietest year for solar activity in a century.  Having said that, they believe that the 20th century was a particularly active time for solar activity, and that this may be more of a normal level of sunspot activity.  It turns out that solar wind is also at its lowest level in 50 years.  Coincidence?

  

On the right is the sun on September 27 2001; on the left Sept 27 2008.  Notice the total lack of sunspots. (Credit: ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO))

Sources: 

Phillips, Dr Tony. "Spotless Sun: Blankest Year Of The Space Age." UPI Space Daily. 03 Oct 2008. n/a. eLibrary Science. Proquest. UMI - INTERNAL ELIBRARY SCIENCE TRIAL ACCOUNT. 16 Oct 2008. .

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006184638.htm