Sunspot Cycle At Lowest Level In 5 Years.

[paulastro]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I am only the messenger  .   Here's a link to todays story from spaceweather.com.

http://spaceweather.com/

Still, on the bright side, what goes down must come back up again .

 

[laudropb]

Just when I was thinking of buying a solar scope.

[BenOak]

11 hours ago, laudropb said:

Just when I was thinking of buying a solar scope.

And I've just asked Santa for a sun filter!

I'm guessing that 'less activity' to someone like me who has never seen any activity will still find it interesting and amazing

[Dave Lloyd]

Isn't this supposed to presage an ice age or something? Ooh poetry.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

A prolonged Maunder-like minimum might be on its way, but then again, it might not. The Maunder minimum coincided with a mini ice age, but nothing like the full blown ice ages of the Pleistocene. Buying H-alpha kit for solar work is still worthwhile, I feel, as there is more going on in that wavelength than in most others

[Stub Mandrel]

They said I was mad, you know!

 

[The Head Gardener]

Mmm, thanks for that link.  I had slipped out of the habit of reading Spaceweather.com . . . smacks self on wrist, write 100 lines "must do better"

Guess my lovely Lunt won't be overtaxed in the near future, although with the snow, sleet and 100% cloud we've got today, there was never any chance of that happening.

 

[Pete Presland]

It certainly does look like we are in for a couple of quiter years coming up. 

I think I read the Maunder minimum was responsible for freezing the river Thames many years back. Imagine the health and safety brigades faces at the thought of markets, fires and people on the frozen river 

[Tyson M]

Always something exciting in h alpha 

 

It's white light that suffers the most. 

By the time the sun kicks it up to high gear again, it will be an astounding sight for all. 

[PeterW]

The Thames was slowed by bridges with lots of small arches... think we will need a significant freeze to repeat today.

i find that the Calcium images is always interesting, though I agree hydrogen isn't anyway as boring as white light in these times.

 

peter