Sunspots?

Hey there

Just took another observation of the sun in white light, and I believe that our host star has discovered Clearasil, as there has not been any spots for quite some time now. The last recorded spots I have noted were on December 9, where there quite a few. I have not observed every day since, there is a gap of about 2 weeks between January 12 and January 26, but prior to December the sun was very quiet.

The next solar maximum is expected between 2010 and 2012, so we are already between 2 and 4 years into the new cycle, as I have only been observing the sun since 2005, and therefore my first cycle, I have to ask tose more experienced, will the activity gradually climb or suddenly leap?

At this moment there is nothing in white light.

our host star has discovered Clearasil

.
More like Clearasol actually.

It's been awful quiet alright. I haven't had much chance to observe over the period but I think it's at least 3 months since I saw one!

It's hard to know about the minimum as there seems to be alot of confusing debate over this one. I remember a couple of the bigger magazines and sites like Nasa saying they thought solar minimum was starting back in 2006, yet some more recent ones were saying that we were only entering it in mid-2007.

I really hope we're in the middle or towards the end of it though. We could do with some activity up there.

Was thinking the same myself. I made a Baader filter for my Canon 300mm lens, and in the past week when I have wanted to image it - nada. Unusual to not have any spots for some time on it. Could it be building up to something powerful underneath the surface?

Seanie.

The sun better start doing something pretty soon or i'm gonna be peeved. I didnt spend an hour building my solar filter just to look at a plain white disc.

It's been awful quiet alright. I haven't had much chance to observe over the period but I think it's at least 3 months since I saw one!
It's hard to know about the minimum as there seems to be alot of confusing debate over this one. I remember a couple of the bigger magazines and sites like Nasa saying they thought solar minimum was starting back in 2006, yet some more recent ones were saying that we were only entering it in mid-2007.
I really hope we're in the middle or towards the end of it though. We could do with some activity up there.

Well, I read that that the new solar cycle officially began early January 2008 with an expected maximum in either 2011 or 2012. How many sunspots appear between now and mid 2009 will give a good indication of how active the cycle is likely to be. It takes several months for an active region to break through the surface from deep within the Sun so who knows what's bubbling underneath....keep watching!

"A new 11-year solar cycle has officially begun, now that a sunspot has been found with a magnetic field pointing in the opposite direction from those in the previous cycle." That was January 4th 2008.