"All Quiet Alert" Issued For the Sun

radioweather writes "The phrase sounds like an oxymoron, and maybe it is, but the sun is extremely quiet right now, so much in fact that the Solar Influences Data Center in Belgium issued an unusual 'All quiet alert' on October 5th. Since then the sunspot number has remained at zero — solar cycle 24 has not yet started. There are signs that the sun's activity is slowing. The solar wind has been decreasing in speed, and this is yet another indicator of a slowing in the sun's magnetic dynamo. There is talk of an extended solar minimum occurring. There are a number of theories and a couple of dozen predictions about the intensity solar cycle 24 which has yet to start. One paper by Penn & Livingstonin in 2006 concludes: 'If [trends] continue to decrease at the current rate then the number of sunspots in the next solar cycle (cycle 24) would be reduced by roughly half, and there would be very few sunspots visible on the disk during cycle 25.' We'll know more in about six months what the sun decides to do for cycle 24."

Comments

no sunspots huh?

[moderatorrater]

The number of sunspots hits a minimum as the globe warms up. Denials at 11.

Obviously

[CodeMunch]

Obviously this is due to global warming on Earth caused by humans.

Simple

[jellomizer]

Fusion has just finished its 6 sigma training after 5 billion of years. Which is good time considering that it was only hydrogen taking the training.

Quick! Alert the scientific community!

[winkydink]

And get Al Gore on the phone, now!

We must take immediate and drastic steps to fight Global Darkening!

Maybe we can get that Kim Stanley Robinson person to write a book? 70 Days of Night?

Sum it up for me

[chill]

Is this a GOOD thing or a BAD thing? Inquiring minds want to know.

Layman's terms?

[iceyone]

Can someone explain what this means to us in laymans terms? I'm just a software geek. I know nothing of this "sun" you speak of.

Re:Layman's terms?

[YanceyAI]

The sun is a large celestial fusion-driven orb found on a westward trajectory by day. No need to concern yourself with it since as a software geek you will never see it. The low activity will be good for you since it won't interfer with your electronic devices. Cheers.

Re:Layman's terms?

[Salsaman]

You know the really big room with the green floor and the blue ceiling ? The "sun" is apparently the big light in it that gets switched off at night.

Re:Layman's terms?

[jonadab]

> Can someone explain what this means to us in laymans terms?
> I'm just a software geek. I know nothing of this "sun" you speak of.

It's another name for the NYF, i.e., the Nasty Yellow Face that appears periodically in the Really Big Room. It's also called the "Burning Face", the "Great Yellow Disc", "Sol", "Masaka", or "Daystar".

In some ways it's a very powerful monster, but in practice it's not a very important one, because there's no need to ever defeat it (if that's even possible). Mostly you can just avoid it, by staying out of the RBR or by sneaking through while the NYF is absent/sleeping. If you do enter the RBR during a time when the Nasty Yellow Face is awake and present, it has various negative effects, although none are immediately fatal. You can't really do anything to it, because it will never approach to within melee range, and it's not vulnerable to arrows. Given enough time it will scorch your skin with its gaze attack, but the effect accrues slowly enough that you can easily get away before the burning becomes unbearable (as long as you are aware of the issue and don't do something completely idiotic, like go to sleep under its gaze or wander so far out into the RBR that you get lost in it). The greater danger is to your eyes, which can be quickly blinded by the Face's intense burning gaze attack, so you should always use eye protection, and even then don't look directly at the NYF. (In this respect it is similar to anything else with a dangerous gaze attack, e.g., a gorgon. Keeping your face aimed down toward the floor is a standard tactic.) The NYF has never been known to follow anyone out of the RBR. Frankly I don't think it would even fit through the doors to most other rooms. It *will* use its gaze attack through a door or window into an adjascent room, but as long as you're at least two or three rooms away from the RBR you should generally not have to worry about the NYF at all.

HTH.HAND.

Re:Quick! Alert the scientific community!

[winkydink]

No, I am drawing a link between the article and humor. Try and keep up.

ZOMGS!

[TheGeneration]

The sun is going to burn out and I never even got to post a "first" post on Slashdot. I'm going to die cold and unfulfilled! (Not by sharks with lasers thank god. That's a plus.)

Re:Holy crap goreman!

[TheGeneration]

HOLY CRAPOLA I think you've got a reasonable solution to the global warming problem!!!! Mars is too cool for humans, and Earth is starting to get too hot. So, let's send SUV/Factory Emission worshiping Republicans to Mars to warm that planet while we keep all the intelligent people here on earth to relive the dark ages of human history without incandescent bulbs and 18 wheeler trucks. It's brilliant I tell ya! We simultaneously solve the religious war of Global Warming while ridding Earth of Rush Limbaugh fans!

Re:That's the Maunder Minimum

[HarvardAce]

So, uh... are we or aren't we all going to die? I think it's pretty safe to say that we're all going to die, although statistics would indicate it probably won't be from sunspots.

Re:Sunspot numbers

[Surt]

Technically, only the global warming believers can persist in their claims in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
The other side would be dead.

Re:Oh really?

[spun]

Don't anthropomorphize climate change either. It really hates that.

try to keep on its good side

[tabby]

"what the sun decides to do "

Please stop anthromorphising astonomical bodies. It just makes them angry.

Re:So in other words..

[Tango42]

Given that you say 18 years, not (for example) 21, and are on an English language website gives a good chance that you are British (there are plenty of other options, but it's a pretty good guess). Given that your username is "smoker2", there is a good chance you smoke. Since smoking is banned in British pubs, I am going to guess that you are *not* in the pub right now - you may, however, be sitting outside it.

Re:That's the Maunder Minimum

[localman]

Statistically, less than half the humans who have been born have died. So chances are you'll live forever.

This message brought to you by the Society for the Brutal Abuse of Misleading Statistics.

Maybe the Sun is confused...

[megazoid81]

Q: How many days between this all-quiet alert and Sun changing its ticker symbol to JAVA?

A: 42!

It cannot be a coincidence that this magical number popped up here as well. The Sun needs some time to find itself before it decides what to do for the next quart^H^H^H^H^H solar cycle.