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Sunspots Reach 1000-Year Peak

rlp writes "Researchers at the Institute for Astronomy in Zurich are reporting that solar sunspot activity is at a 1000-year peak. Records of sunspots have been kept since 1610. The period between 1645 and 1715 (known as the Maunder Minimum) was a period of very few sunspots. Researchers extended the record by measuring isotopes of beryllium (created by cosmic rays) in Greenland ice cores. Based on both observations and ice core records, we are now at a sunspot peak exceeding solar activity for any time in the past thousand years."

4 of 695 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Scary? by GFree · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Who the fuck modded me offtopic? What part of 'from the radio-signals-cringing dept' makes me "offtopic"?

  2. Re:Scary? by mr_mischief · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    If a missile hits something besides its intended target, does it really matter whether it was properly understood wrong information or misunderstood junk data? It's not like missiles return to their point of origin with a "sorry, but I didn't understand that" error code. They still blow something to bits.

    It's probably possible to disarm the warhead if the last few communications were misunderstood, but then you'd have enemies jamming it locally, collecting your still mostly-intact missile, and reverse engineering it.

  3. Re:What do you know by ArcherB · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    That is classic ad-hominem, you are attacking the messanger rather than discussing the issue. This is especially irrelevant since we are discussing a scientific issue, you are talking about war and conflict areas.
    Attacking the messenger is valid when no one can think of three successes in 25 years. I mean, it seems to be that betting AGAINST the UN would be a safer bet because the odds are heavily skewed against the UN! Past performance is an indicator of the future.

    If by doomsday, you mean end of the earth, then.... *looks around* nope. Seems not. On the other hand, if you mean heavy human impact on the environment, then yes, there are plenty of examples. The Newfoundland cod stock collapse for instance. Plenty of environmentalists were warning for years that a collapse was happening. Warnings were ignored, then it happened.

    Or take the deforestation of Easter Island, or this list of disasters. It happened on a local scale, yes, but with the population and technology we have today, we MIGHT affect ecology on a larger, perhaps even global scale.


    All local examples, but the best that anyone has come up with so far. Still, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that if I keep chopping down trees that deforestation would occur. Or maybe even Rachel Carson's example of dumping flammable chemicals into a river might cause it to ignite if fire is added! Still, good examples, but nothing compared to the Global Warming scare tactics of today or the Ozone depletion, global cooling or mass starvation tactics of yesteryear. I want a prediction that is global, permenant and devestating like... well, man-made global warming leading to world-wide devastation, only true.

    Fact is that the climate changes all the time. We have global cooling and enter ice ages and then we have global warming to get us out. Sometimes we cool form within an ice age and warm we are not in one. It's 100% natural.

    Besides, RTFA is about the possibility that the main source of heat in our solar system may be responsible for all this heat. Why is that such a far fetched idea?

    More ad-hominmens. Random quotes by fringe nutters does not a coherent argument make.

    Those are examples from former leading environmentalists to show how wrong they've been in the past and to show their true agenda (the end of capitalism)

    --
    There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
  4. Re:What do you know by Eli+Gottlieb · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    You really have no qualms about giving up national sovereignty to an unelected, undemocratic world government mainly concerned with environmental issues?