The Sun's Odd Behavior

gyrogeerloose writes "Most of us know about the sun's eleven-year activity cycle. However, relatively few other than scientists (and amateur radio operators) are aware that the current solar minimum has lasted much longer than expected. The last solar cycle, Cycle 24, bottomed out in 2008, and Cycle 25 should be well on its way towards maximum by now, but the sun has remained unusually quiescent with very few sunspots. While solar physicists agree that this is odd, the explanation remains elusive."

Comments

Global warming is the cause

[Anonymous Coward]

This is clear to everyone except the Denialists.

Re:Global warming is the cause

[Anonymous Coward]

Correlation is not causation!!

Our computer models will show causation. Coding starts on Tuesday.

Re:Global warming is the cause

[Bing Tsher E]

Worse yet, it's Anthrogenic Galactic Warming. It's all the fault of Western Civilization.

*pounds on bongo drum in protest*

Enough data?

[fenring]

I almost know nothing on the subject, but I'm thinking the 11 year cycle was empiricaly determined. One has to wonder do we have enough data on the subject compared to the age of the sun?

Re:Enough data?

[Bobke]

That is not entirely correct. There is a period after Galileo's discovery called the Maunder Minimum where sunspots "became exceedingly rare", from wikipedia:

The Maunder Minimum (also known as the prolonged sunspot minimum) is the name used for the period roughly spanning 1645 to 1715 by John A. Eddy in a landmark 1976 paper published in Science titled "The Maunder Minimum",[1] when sunspots became exceedingly rare, as noted by solar observers of the time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maunder_Minimum

So, is it really odd behavior?

Re:Enough data?

[x_IamSpartacus_x]

The journals literally end mid-sentence with the author describing how it's "suddenly warm", after having lost animals, the city, his family and finally his life, in a process taking years.

Sheesh how slow did this guy write?

Anthropomorphic

[Anonymous Coward]

All these solar power devices are using the sun up.

Okay, who broke the Sun?

[TheRaven64]

I don't know, you'd think a massive ball of fusion fire wouldn't need warning signs, but apparently some joker still managed to break it. For future reference, the Sun does not contain any user-servicable parts. Please try to remember this, or you will invalidate the warranty.

The release cycle has changed

[Anonymous Coward]

because Sun was acquired by Oracle.

Re: Plants are the cause

[clarkkent09]

Don't you know that plants have been using the Sun's energy for millions of years, no wonder there is nothing left! The solution is simple: burn the forests.