Curiosity makes a movie of Phobos eclipsing the Sun.
Curiosity makes a three frame movie of Phobos eclipsing the Sun.
Tag: sun
Astronomers have identified a star almost identical to the Sun, except that it is 4 billion years older.
Astronomers have identified a star almost identical to the Sun, except that it is 4 billion years older.
They have dated this old age by the amount of lithium detected in the star.
Some historical perspective about what we know about the polarity reversal of the Sun’s magnetic field.
Some historical perspective about what we know about the polarity flip of the Sun’s magnetic field at solar maximum.
This article gives the right kind of background information that was not provided by other recent news stories.
“What causes the Sun’s magnetic field flip?”
The uncertainty of science: “What causes the Sun’s magnetic field flip?”
The answer: We don’t really know! An excellent article by Mike Wall detailing the unknowns behind the Sun’s magnetic field and the sunspot cycle.
Modern Journalism: Retyping press releases
This post is really about the monthly NOAA update of the solar cycle, but before I do that, I must note some really bad science journalism in connection with that solar minimum.
This week NASA released a poorly written press release describing how the Sun’s magnetic field flips whenever it goes through solar maximum, the period when sunspot activity reaches its maximum. The article gave the incorrect impression that this “flip” will be some grand singular and spectacular event and when it happens the consequences to Earth could be significant. Then it buried this most important little detail to the article’s final paragraphs:
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The new solar space observatory IRIS has taken its first pictures.
The new solar space observatory IRIS has taken its first pictures.
The Sun has a maximum and no one notices
On July 8 NOAA released its monthly update of the Sun’s sunspot cycle, covering the period of June 2013. As I do every month, this graph is posted below, with annotations to give it context.
After a brief period of renewed but weak activity during the last three months, the Sun’s sunspot production has once again plunged, dropping back to the levels generally seen for most of 2012.
As predicted by some solar scientists, the Sun seems to have produced a double-peaked maximum, though the second peak appears at this time to have been remarkably wimpy and brief. It is still possible, however, that this second peak is not over and that we might see another burst of renewed activity in the next month or so, based on the Sun’s past behavior during the ending stages of the previous solar maximum in 2001 and 2002. Nonetheless, from all appearances it looks like the Sun has shot its load and is in the process of winding down from a solar maximum peak that occurred back late 2011.
What is especially fascinating about this is that when that peak occurred in 2011, no one noticed!
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Orbital Sciences’ Pegasus rocket this evening successfully launched NASA’s newest solar research satellite, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS).
Orbital Sciences’ Pegasus rocket this evening successfully launched NASA’s newest solar research satellite, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS).
Close-minded politicians everywhere!
Despite the repeated news in recent weeks that the evidence for global warming is slim, or at least confused, today we have two elected officials and one appointed official screaming that the sky will fall if we don’t do something, including spending billions of dollars of other people’s money.
First we have our friend Al Gore, who was in Washington, DC to speak at an environmental event put on by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island). Whitehouse you might remember was the senator who, even before the injured and dead had been counted from the terrible Moore, Oklahoma tornado, started blaming Republicans for the tornado because they weren’t doing more to stop global warming.
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The Sun makes the scientists look good — for now!
NOAA today released its monthly update of the Sun’s sunspot cycle, covering the period of May 2013. As I have done every month for the past three years, I have posted this latest graph, with annotations to give it context, below the fold.
For the third month in a row, the Sun has shown increased sunspot activity. Though the total activity continues to remain well below all predictions, it appears that the Sun is going to produce a double-peaked maximum, as predicted by some solar scientists back in March. Be aware however that this prediction isn’t based on any real understanding of the physical processes that produce sunspots but is instead based on the fact that the Sun has sometimes done this in the past. If you asked these scientists why the Sun sometimes produces a double-peaked maximum they will wave their arms about but will really not be able to tell you.
To the horror of global warming alarmists, the climate refuses to warm.
To the horror of global warming alarmists, the climate refuses to warm.
For those who are regular readers here at Behind the Black, none of the data described by Peter Ferrara in this article will be a surprise. I have been reporting these facts for years. However, the article provides a nice outline of what we know, and includes this sentence near the end that sums up the true problem we face:
Has there ever in history been such an almighty disconnect between observable reality and the delusions of a political class that is quite impervious to any rational discussion?
Earth under fire from the Sun!
Earth under fire from the Sun!
The Sun’s sunspot production might be down, but we are still in the solar maximum, weak as it is, and this last week the Sun has been producing the strongest flares in years. The sunspot producing these flares is now rotating into a position where any further flares will be aimed at the Earth. Should be interesting.