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Sunspots May Be Different During This Solar Minimum

Posted by kdawson on from the too-much-clearasil dept.

PhreakOfTime writes "According to Bill Livingston and Matt Penn of the National Solar Observatory in Tucson, Arizona, sunspot magnetic fields are waning. The two respected solar astronomers have been measuring solar magnetism since 1992. Their technique is based on Zeeman splitting of infrared spectral lines in radiation emitted by iron atoms in the vicinity of sunspots. Extrapolating their data (PDF) into the future suggests that sunspots could completely disappear within decades." To motivate their interest the researchers mention the Maunder Minimum, which occurred beginning in 1645 and coincided with the coldest part of the so-called "Little Ice Age." Sunspot counts during this period were as low as 1/1,000 of the numbers seen in modern times.

3 of 95 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory comic link by pc486 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Extrapolating? Sounds like a job for Randall Munroe! http://xkcd.com/605/

  2. Dr. Livingston... by spammeister · · Score: 1, Funny

    I presume...he knows what he's talking about!

    --
    I tried to think of a good sig, and this wasn't it.
  3. Kill Pirates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Oh no! Global cooling is coming! Kill some pirates to raise the temperature back to normal! Invade Somalia and give the RIAA a license to kill!