Summary Assignment #1
Sunspot Cycle: A Brief History
In 1610, shortly after viewing the sun for the first time through a telescope, Galileo became the first European to observe sunspots, which are visibly darker, cooler areas on the sun. A little over 200 years later (in 1843), amateur German astronomer Samuel Heinrich Schwabe discovered that there is a cyclical, eleven, and by extension to a full cycle, twenty-two year pattern to the variation of sunspot counts known as the sunspot cycle. In 1848, Swiss astronomer Rudolf Wolf devised the following algorithm for making consistent counts of sunspots. [R=10g+f] Where “g” is the number of groups of sunspots and “f” is the number of individual spots. However, an alternative form of the Wolf number is also available to use which is, [R=k(10g+f)] where “k” is the variable that attempts to account for other variables in the measurement. In either case, however, the number that the mathematician arrives at should be referred to as Wolf’s number. In doing so, the ability to make comparisons of data taken by different observers from different times was made …show more content…
One effect is that during years of peak sunspot occurrence, the world is faced with roughly two degrees Fahrenheit temperature drop. It is also speculated that the Maunder Minimum-a period of minimal sunspots bridging the 17th and 18th century-caused what is known as the Little Ice Age, a more extreme case of cooling. During this time, America experienced abnormally cold temperatures causing inland bodies of water to freeze-over or ice along their perimeter like they had never notably done before. Sunspot cycles also are believed to have an affect on the typical cycles of the Pacific Ocean and its corresponding trade winds, the effect is much greater because the amount of precipitation is increased due to increased condensation and sea-level pressure is also
Sunspot Cycle: A Brief History
In 1610, shortly after viewing the sun for the first time through a telescope, Galileo became the first European to observe sunspots, which are visibly darker, cooler areas on the sun. A little over 200 years later (in 1843), amateur German astronomer Samuel Heinrich Schwabe discovered that there is a cyclical, eleven, and by extension to a full cycle, twenty-two year pattern to the variation of sunspot counts known as the sunspot cycle. In 1848, Swiss astronomer Rudolf Wolf devised the following algorithm for making consistent counts of sunspots. [R=10g+f] Where “g” is the number of groups of sunspots and “f” is the number of individual spots. However, an alternative form of the Wolf number is also available to use which is, [R=k(10g+f)] where “k” is the variable that attempts to account for other variables in the measurement. In either case, however, the number that the mathematician arrives at should be referred to as Wolf’s number. In doing so, the ability to make comparisons of data taken by different observers from different times was made …show more content…
One effect is that during years of peak sunspot occurrence, the world is faced with roughly two degrees Fahrenheit temperature drop. It is also speculated that the Maunder Minimum-a period of minimal sunspots bridging the 17th and 18th century-caused what is known as the Little Ice Age, a more extreme case of cooling. During this time, America experienced abnormally cold temperatures causing inland bodies of water to freeze-over or ice along their perimeter like they had never notably done before. Sunspot cycles also are believed to have an affect on the typical cycles of the Pacific Ocean and its corresponding trade winds, the effect is much greater because the amount of precipitation is increased due to increased condensation and sea-level pressure is also