Recent sunspot activity is increasing, and the numbers bear this out. The average daily sunspot number for 2009 was 5 and the average for 2008 was 4.7. There's not much difference in those numbers, but those are for calendar years; the trend toward the end of 2009 was increasing sunspot activity. The average daily sunspot numbers for 1999-2009 were 136.3, 173, 170.3, 176.6, 109.2, 68.6, 48.9, 26.1, 12.8, 4.7 and 5. On Wednesday of this week, the sunspot number was 0, but it rose to 15 on Thursday with the appearance of new sunspot group 1040. Coming this weekend, sunspot groups 1036 and 1038 are due to return, although we don't know yet if they are still powerful enough to be classed as sunspots. Sunspot numbers for December 31-January 6 were 16, 16, 22, 20, 15, 13 and 0, with a mean of 14.6. The 10.7 cm flux was 79.9, 75.2, 78, 76.4, 73, 76.8 and 77.3, with a mean of 76.7. The estimated planetary A indices were 1, 1, 0, 3, 2, 1 and 1, with a mean of 1.3. The estimated mid-latitude A indices were 0, 2, 1, 3, 1, 1 and 0, with a mean of 1.1.
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