tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212234230338648875.post5955039168350708910..comments2024-03-27T20:43:05.862-07:00Comments on The Eternal Universe: Where Have All the Sunspots Gone?Joseph Smidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02583891162785742138noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212234230338648875.post-70026995508653293222009-07-16T21:36:47.825-07:002009-07-16T21:36:47.825-07:00Luckily SOHO has taken something close to a millio...Luckily SOHO has taken something close to a million observations of the sun in roughly 10 bands, so each picture is only about $10. And aside from that they developed some amazingly small Michelson interferometers as a part of this mission. Lockheed, which built the interferometers, has actually been able sell the design to several companies that make passive spectrometers in things like chemical detectors.<br /><br />Add to that the fact that the SOHO spacecraft just turned 14 and was only supposed to live 5 years and this one is really not the mission politicians should be coming after. I hear fruit fly research is a good target... :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17367937708444729356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212234230338648875.post-42601191774621231252009-07-16T21:27:38.781-07:002009-07-16T21:27:38.781-07:00I agree. They set up a network of more than 20 st...I agree. They set up a network of more than 20 stations all over the world (mostly in the British Empire) that each made observations each day in order to assure that not all of them could be stopped by clouds. And they collected these observations by mail. It's amazing it all worked.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17367937708444729356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212234230338648875.post-31553697001244033312009-07-16T18:36:47.122-07:002009-07-16T18:36:47.122-07:00It's amazing (to me) that we have daily record...It's amazing (to me) that we have daily records since 1848. I need to give those 1800s scientists more credit.Joseph Smidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02583891162785742138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212234230338648875.post-66683205764233059132009-07-16T18:30:07.104-07:002009-07-16T18:30:07.104-07:00Joe,
Individual sunspots last on the order of 20 ...Joe,<br /><br />Individual sunspots last on the order of 20 days, but show marked evolution as they age.<br /><br />During the period in the 1600's that I mentioned (which is known as the Maunder minimum) we don't have daily sunspot records (which we have everyday without exception since 1848), but reconstruction based on partial records (usually on the order of 10 days per month) it looks like the average sunspot number was on the order of 1. In the last solar maximum the sunspot number was about 70. The Maunder minimum is a real puzzle because we have records of other times when cycles were small, but it appears to be the only time when they simply shut off.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17367937708444729356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4212234230338648875.post-54178055342460970622009-07-16T12:09:13.953-07:002009-07-16T12:09:13.953-07:00I'm glad you guys have some interesting things...I'm glad you guys have some interesting things to think about. I for one am interested in the sun spot issue, but only have an elementary understanding of the whole thing.<br /><br />Nick, how long to individual sun spots last? Is it on the order of days, weeks years? Do you remember what the sunspot rate was in that unusual period in the 1700s?<br /><br />If I was a "pork barrel" barrel politician I would have said: "We spent hundred million dollars to take this picture". That, of course, would be disingenuous, but then I would fit in with a lot of politicians.<br /><br />Who was it complaining all campaign that we spend millions of dollars to study flies forgetting to mention those fruit flies are some of the cheapest, most efficient ways to find new ways to understand human biology/cure diseases/etc...? Um, I think someone who is now resigning as governor somewhere.Joseph Smidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02583891162785742138noreply@blogger.com