Is The Sun About To 'Fizz Out'?
(Staring, Blankly: The solar disk with no sunspot activity. Credit: NASA)
“As perplexing as it may sound, solar researchers are predicting the sun is about to fall into the doldrums,again.” “Despite all the incredible solar flare action we’ve seen in recent months as our nearest star ramps up toward solar maximum predicted to occur in 2013, scientists are predicting the next solar cycle (Cycle 25) will be notable in that it might not even happen.” “This finding was announced today at the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society, being held at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.” “This is highly unusual and unexpected,” Frank Hill, associate director of the NSO’s Solar Synoptic Network, said in a conference press release. “But the fact that three completely different views of the sun point in the same direction is a powerful indicator that the sunspot cycle may be going into hibernation.”
Astronomy news, recent research results, and pretty pictures from the media along with context, commentary, and explanations for folks who dig this sort of thing. Written by a quasi-professional astronomer affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin.
