Russ Steele
The American Astronomical Society is meeting at Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM, and promised a big annoucenment today and here it is:
“If we are right, this could be the last solar maximum we’ll see for a few decades,” Hill said. “That would affect everything from space exploration to Earth’s climate.”
This graphic is from Anthony Watts blog Watts Up With That showing the trends that will result in the loss of sun spots as we know them.
This from Space.com
- Some unusual solar readings, including fading sunspots and weakening magnetic activity near the poles, could be indications that our sun is preparing to be less active in the coming years.
- The results of three separate studies seem to show that even as the current sunspot cycle swells toward the solar maximum, the sun could be heading into a more-dormant period, with activity during the next 11-year sunspot cycle greatly reduced or even eliminated.
In the past a less active sun has resulted in a cooler earth and during the Maunder Minimum, it brought on a mini-iceage. Here are some links to information on the Maunder Minimum on this blog:
Maunder Minimum 1740—replay in 2020? (Updated)
Synchronized Northern Hemisphere climate change and solar magnetic cycles during the Maunder Minimum
Chilling Evidence: No Spots by 2015
There will be more information and discussion at Watts Up With That. I will be writing more on the long term implications of a return of a Grand Minimum.
Cross Posted at NC Media Watch
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