AUGUST SUNSPOTS: Contrary to reports, August 2008 was not the first month since June 1913 without a sunspot. August did have a sunspot. This was a bipolar active region that appeared on Aug. 21st. Pavol Rapavy took the picture from his backyard observatory in Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia. Because the sunspot lasted a short time, NOAA did not assign it a number. Nevertheless, the solar index World Data Center in Belgium recognizes the spot with a non-zero sunspot count on Aug. 21st and 22nd.
There has been much speculation in the "solar blogosphere" about the length of the ongoing solar minimum. The sun has been mostly blank for a long time and people are wondering when the next solar cycle is going to begin. Some observers claim we're entering a climate-altering minimum of historic proportions.
There's no evidence to back up these claims. As far as anyone can tell, the ongoing solar minimum is historically normal. New cycle spots are slowly beginning to appear and, indeed, the disputed sunspot of August is one of them. Its magnetic polarity places it in Solar Cycle 24 expected to peak in 2011 or 2012. If the sun remains blank for another year, it's time to re-think our assurances, but for now, all is well.
(Tret de Space Wheather d'avui)
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