New Solar Cycle

[Sonwatcher]

From Arrl.org-

"Backward sunspots" may herald start of Solar Cycle 24 (Aug 30, 2006) -- The recent appearance on the sun of two so-called "backward sunspots" may mean solar Cycle 23 is drawing to a close and Cycle 24 now is under way or soon will be. At least that's the thinking of some scientists. "We've been waiting for this," said Solar Physicist David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, after the first backward spot showed up. "A backward sunspot is a sign that the next solar cycle is beginning." The term "backward" refers to the sunspots' magnetic polarity. One such sunspot appeared briefly July 31, then disappeared, but its significance was that its magnetic polarity was just the opposite of current Cycle 23 spots. Another more robust spot, Sunspot 905, appeared earlier this month -- although it subsequently began to dissipate -- and some sungazers are saying Cycle 24 already has begun. ARRL propagation guru Tad Cook, K7RA, has been a bit more cautious. "As time goes on, there will be more Cycle 24 spots and fewer Cycle 23 spots," he said in a recent "Solar Update."

http://www.arrl.org/?artid=6730

 

[PLUTO]

Interesting read

 

[Camel Jockey]

sunspots?

I know that sunspots affect the radio wave propagation but I am unsure how. Could someone take a little time and try to educate me please. Kindergarten would be OK but not necessary. I guess I would be closer to 6th grade. Ha Ha
Thanx
Paul

 

[Sonwatcher]

From NASA-

What Are Sunspots? Sunspots are areas of the sun which are less hot (about 3000 degrees C) than the rest of the sun's surface (about 6000 degrees C) and therefore appear dark. They produce intense radiation which make the ionosphere reflect radio signals. The spots last from a few days to a month or two and the quantity of sunspots is directly related to the effectiveness of the ionosphere in reflecting short-wave signals as can be seen from the graph in Figure 2.(top line - sunspot count; bottom line - effectiveness of ionosphere).

http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/MAEL/ag/agprop3.htm

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

this months popular communications or CQ has a artical exactly about the new solar cycle

a pic was taken showing the reverse polarity solar flare

Later

 

[Sonwatcher]

We did this in school to view a solar eclipse. You can do it to view the sunspots too-

How To View Sunspots Safely- IMPORTANT WARNING: Never look at the sun directly through a telescope or binoculars, even with a dark filter added. This can cause permanent severe damage to your eyes! The safe way to look at the sun is by projection. Put a pin hole in a piece of thick cardboard. The image of the sun is then projected onto a piece of white paper. Sunspots should be clearly visible using this method. You can make an "elegant version" of this scheme but putting a large cardboard box (with a pin hole on one side and a white sheet of paper pasted on the other inside surface. After the box is over your head and your eyes dilate (in about 3 minutes), you will see a fantastic, bright image of the sun.

 

[station 716]

good post Ron

Thanks Ron; good data there....now, as soon as I get this code thing under control...LOL

 

[K8PG]

What are Sunspots?? How are they formed??

Sunspots are thought to exist as a result of intense,localized magnetic fields that are trapped below the surface of the sun
At a solar minimum,spots associated with the new cycle appear at mid-latitudes.The magnetic fields are longitudinal,running north and south.However,as the sun rotates,the magnetic fields under the suns solar surface rotate at different speeds,with the equatorial region of the sun spinning at a slower rate than do regions at higher latitudes.This causes the magnetic fields to distort and to realign slowly in an eastwest direction.Tremendous energy builds up under the solar surface,starting at the higher(mid) latitudes and migrating towards the solar equator over the dour-to five yr period to a solar Maximum.As these fields build in magnetic potential,they erupt through the surface,forming a huge magnetic loop,The solar surface,where this eruption appears,cools significantly, causing that surface region to be darker than the surrounding solar surface.At solar maximum the magnetic fields are almost completely latitudinal.From this point sunspot activity begins to decline.At the end of roughly 11 years,the polarity at the poles associated with sunspots will reverse,the magnetic fields for spots associated with the new cycle will again be longitudinal,and the process starts all over.
The areas around the sunspots,called the Plage(because of the associated temperature differential and turbulent magnetic fields),becomes an electromatic and cosmic-ray generator.Energy levels in the spectrum ranging from visable through ultraviolent and x-ray emissions are elevated.When the magnetic field breaks down,a Flare results,emitting tremondous
quantiteis of radiation and electromatic particles.
Sunspots almosts always appear in groups.Groups may rage in size from small clusters of tiny specks a few hundred miles in dia. to enormous groups stretching nearly a quarter of a million miles across the suns surface and containing individual spots as large as 80,000 miles in diameter.... an area into which several planets the size of earth could easily disappear!!Sunspots,although embedded in the suns surface,appear to move in an east to west direction as the Sun rotates.If a spot is born on the side of the Sun out of view from earth,it will first become visible as it crosses the Suns eastern edge.It will then drift westward across the visible face of the solar disk,and disappear out of sight behind the western edge in slightly more than 13 1/2 days,which corresponds roughly to half the period of rotation of the Sun The spot then enters the hidden side of the Sun for the next 13 1/2 days.
The lifetime of a sunspot,or a sunspot group,varies from a few days toi severaL months.Larger sunspots often are visible during several solar rotations,reappearing roughly every 27 days.For this reason ,many terrestrial phenemena that are believed to be influenced by Sunspots tend to be at intervals of about 27 days. There you have it an explation of what are and how Sunspots are formed.Good Luck on you code om Ive been doing cw for over 35 yrs now and is the only way to communicate.73/GL/DX

DE K8PG-Paul CW Lives in the Heart of the Amateur :usa

 

[Camel Jockey]

HMMM ???

Maybe I was wrong. I do need to go back to Kindergarten. Or atleast basics. Do sunspots help with radio transmissions or hurt them?I thought that they would keep the skip down and increase static or white noise. What am I missing here??
Thanx
Paul

 

[EDUK8TR]

Re: HMMM ???

Maybe I was wrong. I do need to go back to Kindergarten. Or atleast basics. Do sunspots help with radio transmissions or hurt them?I thought that they would keep the skip down and increase static or white noise. What am I missing here??
Thanx
Paul

What Are Sunspots? Sunspots are areas of the sun which are less hot (about 3000 degrees C) than the rest of the sun's surface (about 6000 degrees C) and therefore appear dark. They produce intense radiation which make the ionosphere reflect radio signals.=propagation

 

[AudioShockwav]

HAve a look at this Section, the AE4IV flash movie is a good source of info.

forum.worldwidedx.com/viewtopic.php?t=1531

73
Jeff