[A-DX] WG: [vhfskip] NASA: Is a New Solar Cycle Beginning?

["JLohuis" <jlohuis@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hallo,
da wird die kleine Insel St. Helena jetzt wohl überschüttet mit 5-$-Noten.
Dann können die sich endlich einen DRM-Sender davon kaufen und nächstes Jahr
noch mehr Hörer beglücken !  ;-)
Wenn die Anzahl der Sonnenflecken steigt, dürfte der Empfang noch besser
werden. Siehe folgender Artikel.
vy 73, frohes Fest und ein glückliches Jahr 2008  de Jürgen Lohuis
-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: vhfskip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:vhfskip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]Im Auftrag von
kb4cvn
Gesendet: Samstag, 15. Dezember 2007 19:44
An: vhfskip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Betreff: [vhfskip] NASA: Is a New Solar Cycle Beginning?


The solar physics community is abuzz this week. No, there haven't been
any great eruptions or solar storms. The source of the excitement is a
modest knot of magnetism that popped up on the sun, possibly heralding
the start of a new solar cycle.

73,
Mark Cobbeldick, KB4CVN
Monroe, Virginia USA

===============================

NASA: Is a New Solar Cycle Beginning?

Full Article With Images and Graphs:

<http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/14dec_excitement.htm?list971021>

Dec. 14, 2007: The solar physics community is abuzz this week. No,
there haven't been any great eruptions or solar storms. The source of
the excitement is a modest knot of magnetism that popped over the
sun's eastern limb on Dec. 11th, pictured below in a pair of images
from the orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

It may not look like much, but "this patch of magnetism could be a
sign of the next solar cycle," says solar physicist David Hathaway of
the Marshall Space Flight Center.

For more than a year, the sun has been experiencing a lull in
activity, marking the end of Solar Cycle 23, which peaked with many
furious storms in 2000--2003. "Solar minimum is upon us," he says.

The big question now is, when will the next solar cycle begin?

"New solar cycles always begin with a high-latitude, reversed polarity
sunspot," explains Hathaway. "Reversed polarity " means a sunspot with
opposite magnetic polarity compared to sunspots from the previous
solar cycle. "High-latitude" refers to the sun's grid of latitude and
longitude. Old cycle spots congregate near the sun's equator. New
cycle spots appear higher, around 25 or 30 degrees latitude.

The region that appeared on Dec. 11th fits both these criteria. It is
high latitude (24 degrees N) and magnetically reversed. Just one
problem: There is no sunspot. So far the region is just a bright knot
of magnetic fields. If, however, these fields coalesce into a dark
sunspot, scientists are ready to announce that Solar Cycle 24 has
officially begun.

Many forecasters believe Solar Cycle 24 will be big and intense.
Peaking in 2011 or 2012, the cycle to come could have significant
impacts on telecommunications, air traffic, power grids and GPS
systems. (And don't forget the Northern Lights!) In this age of
satellites and cell phones, the next solar cycle could make itself
felt as never before.

The furious storms won't start right away, however. Solar cycles
usually take a few years to build to a frenzy and Cycle 24 will be no
exception. "We still have some quiet times ahead," says Hathaway.

Meanwhile, all eyes are on a promising little active region. Will it
become the first sunspot of a new solar cycle?


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